Out of the Greenwoods
by Cohen101
Summary: Kate ran to the tent a ferocious maternal instinct she didn’t know existed before propelling her body forward through the forest... Chapter 19 up!
1. 1 Discovery

**1.1 Discovery **

Boone woke with a jolt, his eyes dizzy; vision blurred. It took a moment for him to get his bearings straight, but when he did, he noticed an unfamiliar weight on his leg, accompanied by an unfamiliar pain. He quickly worked his way upright, and dragged himself hazardously to a near by tree with one arm. He sat up against it, using it as support, unsure if he would be able to get up.

As his mind wrestled with his body, he looked at the girl across from him, wondering what had happened. Her hand had been on his leg when he woke up, but he didn't know how long he'd been out for. He became conscious to the fact that he couldn't remember anything.

Another jolt of pain seared up his leg, and he looked down at it with half open eyes. The previously dark denim material had turned into a horrible maroon red. He looked up at the girl again; her hair was matted down with blood… his blood….

_Wait a second…_ How could someone _that_ small get him into this condition? He looked at her clueless, wondering how she'd gotten herself into this predicament… And how he himself managed to end up more battered and bruised then she was.

Except that wasn't true. She was just a tiny thing, curled up in the grass, all short and skinny. Her pale American skin was smudged with dirt; a half healed cut running from her left temple to the bottom of her cheekbone caked with dry blood. Her shirt was tattered, freshly stained although it was probably already light years away from its original color, and her pants were littered with holes. Her shoes were held on with something green, the laces missing - though the green stuff didn't prevent one of the shoes from falling off.

A big gash on her arm gained his attention and an image flashed through his mind. He remembered picking a sharp rock off the ground in surprise, and then lashing out with it, trying to protect himself. The big gash served, as a reminder -it must have been the girl who did this to him, made him like this. But there was no way he could have done all that to her…

Boone laughed silently to himself when he noticed her left leg, caved in unnaturally. He was no doctor, and if someone didn't find them soon, they'd both be in big trouble. The last thing he remembered before the abrupt feeling of fatigue took over was if anyone would ever find him and this puzzling girl.

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"Jack! Jack! JACK!" Jack opened his eyes and groggily got up. Even though they'd been on the island for weeks, it'd been quite a while since he'd heard that kind of shouting, the one where you knew right away that something was wrong. Getting his bearings straight, he opened his eyes and spotted Kate running across the beach through the tent flaps, shouting his name.

"Jack!" She stopped in front of a stunned Charlie asking, "where's Jack?" like a nut.

"He's in that tent Kate, why? What the bloody hell happened?" Charlie asked, slightly shocked, taking in her frantic eyes, pale face, and somewhat bloody clothes. Kate pushed off of him and began running towards the tent Jack had been previously asleep in, Charlie closely in tow.

"Jack!" she yellled into the tent. She doubled over taking huge gasps of air, sucking it in like a vacuum. "JACK!" she managed to cough out again.

"What? What is it? Kate-" he caught sight of her bloody clothing and placed both his hands on her shoulders. "Kate, listen to me. Breathe, breathe, bre-" Kate tried to interrupt him but he shushed her. "No, first, you breathe, alright? I don't want you passing out on me, so just breathe for a second okay? Deep breaths…" Kate nodded and Jack looked at her intently. After a few seconds had passed, Jack looked her in the eye. "Now, I need you to tell me _calmly_ what happened. Whose blood is all over you?"

"It's- it's Boones. He's hurt… real bad. I- I don't know exactly what happened, but- but there was this girl, and I knocked her out, and," "Kate-," "and Boone, he- he's all bloody, and cut up, and the girl was attacking him, and--" "Kate!-," "he's out cold, and- and-"

"KATE!" Jack shouted finally. She was distressed, her hands flying everywhere, running through her hair constantly. He slid his hands down to her arms and held on firmly. "Kate, please calm down. Listen to me. Boone's going to be fine, okay? Just take me to where he was, and don't worry about it. I can fix him, and he's going to be fine." Kate nodded along with Jack's words, shaking.

"Kate- Kate." She looked up at him. Her eyes were frantic, and he needed to calm her down as quickly as he could. "Say it after me, okay? Boone is going to be fine… Say it." Jack ordered.

"B-Boone's gonna be-be fine…" she closed her eyes and took a big breath. "Boones, going to be fine, there's nothing to worry about… he'll be fine," she repeated to herself, and color slowly began returning to her face.

"Okay, I think I'm fine… I'm fine," Kate convinced herself, shaking images of bloodied and battered Boone out of her mind. "Follow me, and… I'll take you to him. But we have to go quick, cause…"

"Yeah, for sure. Hey, Charlie, can you come with us?" Charlie shot him a look of surprise, thinking he'd been forgotten. "If it's as bad as it sound's we might have to carry Boone back to the caves. Hey, Hurley!" Jack yelled as Charlie nodded, still somewhat lost.

"Yeah dude?" Hurley called back to him, entering the scene from the lush forest.

"I need you to go back to the caves. Go through the medical supplies, and get some alcohol and bandages ready. I'm going to need them when we get back. Don't forget to boil some water as well," Jack added.

"Um… I just came from there dude, you sure?" Hurley asked, looking dodgingly back at the worn forest path. He'd just come all the way from the caves, and wasn't keen on another walk.

"Just do it, okay?" Jack said, irritated.

"Whatever you say, you're the boss," Hurley answered, shrugging his shoulders with a huff. He turned around and headed back to the caves. Jack turned his attention back to Kate.

"Kate, take us to Boone."

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"Boone…" Jack softly called out, placing a hand lightly on Boone's face. "Common buddy, wake up for ole' Jack?" Jack asked, tapping Boone's face lightly with his hand trying to get him to come around. But Boone remained as impassive as ever, determined to stay in his wonderful world of sleep.

"Common Boone, wake up, please?" Jack pleaded, continuing his attempts to stimulate Boone. "Boone… Damit!" Jack whispered, about to give up and call Charlie over so that they could both carry Boone back to camp.

"Charlie-" he started, but Boone cracked open his eyes.

"That you man?" he asked hoarsely, unwilling to raise his head to check for himself. The little trek from one end of the clearing to the other had left him more tired then he'd originally thought.

"Depends who you were looking for," Jack said, relieved, waving off Charlie who'd raised his head. Him and Kate were staring and prodding the girl across from them, giving Jack some room to work with Boone. Jack crouched back down to Boone's level, "Can you tell me what happed here?" he asked.

"Uh…" Boone trailed off, straining his mind trying to remember. "Is the girl okay?" he asked, stalling for more time to think.

"She'll be fine," Jack answered, blowing off the question. In truth, he'd barley glanced in her direction, but Boone cooperating was his priority at the moment. "She'll be fine, but I'm worrying about you right now." Boone nodded, content, and then shut his eyes.

"No Boone, you can't sleep. I need to ask you a couple questions first, remember?"

"M' tired," Boone stated, sounding more like a child then anything.

"Don't worry about that right now, you can go to sleep in a second. Do you have a headache? Do you feel dizzy? Nauseous? How many fingers am I holding up?" Jack raised three fingers in front of Boone's face.

"Three," he mumbled. "One question at a time," he yawned, wincing slightly as he hit the back of his head on the tree. Jack was pleased to see that he was listening, and still had his eyes open, although they were somewhat unfocused.

"Good Boone," he encouraged. "Do you have a headache?" He moved into a better position so that he could lean Boone's head forward and see what had caused him pain.

"Um… I guess so. Or no, maybe not…" he moved his head away from Jack's hand, who was gently poking the bump.

"I need a better answer then that Boone. Do you or do you not have a headache?" Jack persisted.

Boone thought for a moment, weighing the pain. "Yes," he answered, deciding that his head shouldn't be hurting this bad if it was okay.

"Inside or outside?" Jack asked.

"What about the girl?"

"Answer the question Boone," Jack replied.

"Both?" Boone answered hoping it was an available option.

"Boone, I'm going to shine a light into your eyes. Don't move your head, and try not to blink." Jack got out a little penlight from his bag and shone it into Boone's eye. Boone immediately blinked and turned his head to get away from the light.

"No Boone, I need to do this. Hold your head still," Jack said sternly, holding Boone's chin in place so he wouldn't be able to move his head.

"Boone, I need to do this. I'm sorry, but I have to," Jack said sternly, taking Boone's chin and holding it in place so he couldn't move his head. He clicked the penlight on again, and shone it into both Boone's eyes.

Boone whined, twisting to get away from the light, but was unable to do anything more then put up a pathetically weak struggle. "Stop it," he mumbled, trying to intimidate Jack.

Jack ignored him and released his head, snapping the penlight off. "Are you feeling dizzy at all?"

"No," Boone answered, "but my head hurts…"

"I'll get you some Advil or something when we get back, and it'll die down a little. Does that sound good?" Boone nodded. "Do you feel like vomiting or anything?" Jack continued.

"Just a little bit," he answered after a moments pause. "But I don't think that I will."

Jack nodded. "Do you remember what happened? Anything at all?"

"Sorry Jack, I- I can't." Boone said blankly, not sure why the hell he was in this condition.

"Don't worry about that. Where does it hurt the most on your body?"

"My leg, and my shoulder- but everything's sore… What are you doing with that?" Boone asked, moving away from the knife in Jack's hand. Jack slid it underneath Boone's shirtsleeve, and made a tear. He grabbed the two sides and tore the shirt up to the collar. Examining the cut on Boone's shoulder, he was surprised to see that it was still bleeding. He took off his own shirt, and tore a strip off. He lifted up Boone's arm, and placed the strip around it.

"You still with us Boone?" he asked, tightening it as hard as he could.

Boone sucked in his breath, "Hey, that hurts man," he complained, although he didn't go to remove the makeshift bandage. "The girl," he remembered. "What about the girl?"

"Do you think you'd be able to get up and walk?" Jack asked, once again ignoring Boone's protests and questions. People had said before that he had bad bedside manner… maybe this was why. Boone struggled to get off his butt, and Jack quickly halted him. "Don't worry about it, just relax. Whatever you do, do not close your eyes, understand?" Boone nodded and promptly shut his eyes.

"Boone!" Jack shouted, causing both Kate and Charlie to look over at him.

"Yeah, what?" he asked distantly.

"No Boone, you can't go to sleep," Jack said more forcefully then the first.

"I hate you," Boone sighed, leaning back on the tree, only to take his head off once again because of the pain.

Jack laughed at his comment, and patted Boone gently on the head as to not hurt him. "Charlie," he asked, "make sure he don't go to sleep, no matter what." Charlie nodded and walked over to them, Kate behind him.

"What's wrong with him," Kate whispered worriedly, kneeling down to Jack's level, the frantic panic mode she'd been in minutes ago completely gone.

"I'm betting he has a concussion, and a pretty bad one at that. Do you know how long he was out for, or how he got hit in the head and by what?" Jack asked, using the knife to open up Boone's pants.

"Uh, when I got here, Boone was already out. I hit the girl was a log, and I'm guessing he'd only been out for a few seconds before I got there, cause…" Kate trailed off, catching sight of Boone's leg.

Charlie looked over at them to see what had cut off Kate's story, muttering, "Bloody hell," when he say it. Boone began looking over to see what was so interesting when Charlie set himself in-between Boone and the leg. "Don't _look_ at it Boone," he reprimanded.

Jack bit his lip, and tore another, larger strip off his shirt. The gash was long and bloody, pieces of red colored skin hanging off the edges. There was blood everywhere, and it was still bleeding extensively. Jack lifted Boone's leg up gently, and wrapped the fabric around it tightly.

"Jack!" Boone grunted, protesting, and tried to move his leg away from Jack. Jack ignored him, once again, and held the leg in place with his knees. He watched it intently as a spot of blood appeared, socking through the layers of cloth. He felt Kate's hand on his back, and could almost see her covering her mouth with her hand. He took the rest of his shirt, and tied it around the leg.

The tiniest dot of blood appeared, and expanded slightly but soon ceased. Jack released the leg and stood up. "Call me if that starts up again," he instructed Charlie, who nodded shallowly.

Jack walked over to the girl, once again kneeling on the ground. "Who is she?" he asked Kate, who'd followed him. He placed two fingers on her neck, waiting to feel the pulse of a heartbeat.

"I have no idea," Kate answered. "I'm pretty sure she wasn't on the plane, and she came from out of the forest… she came out of no where."

Jack nodded, and turned his attention to Charlie. "Count to 60 Charlie… and make Boone count with you," he added as an afterthought. "Tell me when you're done." He counted the number of beats while Charlie slowly counted to 60 while Boone copied him reluctantly, half a beat off.

"58 sugar plum fairy…59 sugar plum fairy…60 sugar plum fairy… Done?" Charlie asked, watching Jack.

"Her pulse is normal, I think she's just knocked out." Jack straightened the girl out, then looked around for something to use as a pillow. "Can I borrow that?" he asked Kate, pointing to the shirt she had tied around her waist.

"What happens if she wakes up?" Kate asked, handing it to him. Jack placed the shirt under her neck, then put his ear to her mouth. "She attacked Boone for no reason, and she almost killed him… what if she tries it again when she wakes up.

Jack moved away from her, satisfied with her vitals. "_If_ she wakes up… Don't worry about it Kate. We have no idea what her motives were, and for all we know, she might have had a good one. _If_ she wakes up, we'll decide what to do." Kate's eyes still reflected mistrust and doubt, and he sigh. "We're going to have to make some sort of stretcher to carry her back in."

Kate shook her head. "What about Boone, he's hurt too!"

"Yeah, but I can carry Boone back, and we know what's wrong with him. She might be in a coma, and I don't want to risk doing any damage by moving her neck, even if she's the one that hurt Boone. She's still a human being." Jack looked at Kate, and Kate stared back at him.

"We need two long pieces of wood," Jack started, and Kate turned away exasperated. "Then a few more to go across. We can tie them in place with some grass or something. I'm going to keep Boone awake and carry him back to camp on my back. You two can carry the girl in the stretcher, alright?"

"Can't we just leave her?" Kate asked, trying hard not to sound too cold. It didn't make sense to her to nurse Boone's would-be killer back to health.

"Kate, I know you disapprove of this, but if we take her with us, we can keep a close eye on her. We can make sure that she doesn't surprise attack someone else. I don't know about you, but I can't leave a defenseless girl alone in the jungle in her condition. We're not murders Kate… not yet, anyways." He gave her a meaningful look, and moved away to go find branches. Kate glared at his retreating back then moved off in the opposite direction.

Charlie sat with grumpy Boone, confused -wondering what Jack had meant by his last comment.

-------------------

Even before the reached the outskirts of camp, Jack could see Shannon's blonde head running to them. "Oh, my, God!" she screamed when she got close enough to see Boone was no longer white. "What the hell happened Jack!" she demanded with a screech, and Jack closed his eyes, willing himself to go on. Shannon stared up at her brother on Jack's back, bloody head, bloody check, bloody arm, bloody leg, bloody everything! "Jack!" she demanded.

"It's nothing Shannon, it's going to be okay. He might just be out of commission for a few days, but its nothing to worry about. No broken bones, which is what really matters," Jack answered, panting hard. He didn't really want to deal with the shower of questions he knew was coming.

"I'll be fine Shannon," Boone reassured tiredly, moving his head so he could see her. He smiled at how worried she was about him… now maybe she would know how he felt half the time he went to visit her who knows where. Still… Jack had forced him to ride piggyback, not matter how much he protested, not believing, or trusting that he could walk by himself.

"But, he's all bloody, that can't be good, can it?" Shannon asked, sounding very upset, keeping pace beside Jack as he carried deadweight Boone on his back.

It always marveled Jack at how people close to a patient couldn't do anything but point out the obvious. "Yes, he is all bloody, but you know what?" he started, saving her from pointing out another obvious fact. "He's also extremely heavy, so can you just put the questions on hold until I get him in a bed?" It sounded a bit harsh to Jack, but Shannon didn't seem to notice.

Jack was grateful for her obliviousness, a long trip through the jungle carrying Boone and making him talk into his ear every two minutes, plus Kate's never-ending questions about his decision had really brought down his irritation level.

"Yeah, okay… um, you can put him in our tent I guess. Is there anything he should lie on or whatever?" Shannon asked, completely missing the fact that Jack was tired, irritated, and moody.

"Do you have somewhere by the caves we can put him?" Jack asked.

"Yeah, I'll run ahead and get everything ready," Shannon squeaked brightly. She ran off in the general direction of the caves, until Jack lost sight of her.

"You alright up there, Boone?" Jack asked for the umpteenth time.

"I'd be better if you'd stop asking and let me sleep," Boone answered bitterly, too tired to even attempt a glare.

Jack laughed at his response, and turned around to see where Kate and Charlie were. "Hey Kate!" he yelled, spotting them.

"What?" she yelled back, perhaps a bit moody. Although her and Charlie made a good team, their progress had been slow going, and they were very much behind Jack.

"I'm going to go put Boone with Shannon, so just put the girl up in my cave, alright?" he said. He saw Kate gibe him the evil eye, and reluctantly change course for Jack's cave.

"You alright up there, Boone?"

"Like a Koala and an Elephant," Boone answered, resting his head on Jack's shoulder.

"What does that mean?" Jack asked, stepping over a log.

"Whatever you want it to," Boone yawned.

When Jack got to the tent, Shannon had already spread out a couple of blankets onto the ground for Jack's approval. Jack nodded, and gently lowered Boone down.

"Shannon, you can't let him go to sleep. Whatever he does, whatever he says, don't let him shut his eyes and sleep. Stay with him and make sure he doesn't move, unless he has to go, and he feels up to it. If his headache gets worse, get someone to come and find me right away. Don't leave him alone, even if its for a couple seconds. But the most important thing is that he doesn't sleep. I'm coming back soon to look at his cuts, so don't move the bandages. Understand?" Jack looked over to see Shannon nodding to what he was saying, looking worriedly at Boone.

"He'll be fine," he reassured her. "I promise, he'll be fine." Jack smiled at her, and she smiled nervously back, nodding.

"Boone-"

"Not sleeping, got it," he answered dryly, playing with his eyes.

Jack nodded and went out, back to the cave that he occupied. Just outside of it was all the medical supplies from the plane. He wasn't surprised to find Kate gone, Charlie alone in the cave adjusting the shirt underneath the girl. "Will she be alright, Jack?" Charlie asked, troubled.

"That depends when she wakes up… she might be in a coma, she might not… I'm wishing for the best Charlie." He was pleased to see that Hurley had in fact put out some alcohol, rags, and had started a fire with boiling water on it.

"Charlie, can you do me a favor and stay with her here for a while?" Charlie nodded, and Jack put the alcohol and rags in a small bag. "I need to go dress Boone's cuts, but I'll be right back."

"Right, no problemo," Charlie said, nodding once again as Jack left the caves.

------------------------ 

"You know who's really hot Boone?" Shannon asked, looking up from a magazine quiz she'd just made Boone take.

"Who?" Boone asked, blankly, lying on the floor staring up at the crooked roof.

"Chris Evans. It say's here that he's doing another movie, isn't that cool?"

"Sure, whatever, I don't care. Can't you just go away and leave me alone?" Boone asked, his eyelids heavy. He began shutting his eyes slowly.

"Boone!" Shannon yelled, slapping his arm.

"Ow! What!" Boone asked, glaring at her.

"Don't close you eyes dumbass," Shannon scolded.

"But-" Boone stopped talking when Jack entered tent.

"How are you doing Boone?" Jack asked, setting down the hot pot and dropping rags into it.

"The same last time you asked. Why can't I go to sleep? What's the big problem? I'm tired!" Boone said. He was feeling a better now the he was lying down, and all he wanted to do now was sleep.

"Because you might not wake up again," Jack stopped, looking up to see how Boone took the information. His face remained blank, his eyes following an invisible insect. "Look at it this way," Jack started, attempting to joke. "Only roughly eight more hours, and then you can sleep as much as you like."

"Oh yay," Boone muttered. He saw Jack opening a bottle of scotch from the corner of his eye. "What's that for?" he asked, turning his head slightly to have a better view, not really wanting to know that answer.

"This?" Jack asked, shaking the bottle gently. Boone nodded. "It's going to go on your cuts. Disinfect them, clean them, all the good stuff… you going to fight me on this?" he asked tiredly. The alcohol was basically a more extreme version of an alcohol wipe, and he'd hated them as a kid, just as much as the next kid.

"Uh, yeah… I mean, no, no…" Boone stared at the alcohol hard. As a kid, he'd never use alcohol pads, just rinse it out with water and stick a bandage on it.

"This is going to sting a bit, so try not to move your leg," Jack instructed, pulling away Boone's pant leg and unwrapping the cloth he'd used in the forest. He placed the leg in-between his knees like before to hold it still.

"One, two, three-" he poured some alcohol over it and the leg jerked involuntarily, while Boone drew a sharp breath. Jack held it in place, and took a cloth, pouring the liquid over it. He began gently scrubbing away the dirt and grass, making sure he got everything out of it. "Good job Boone," he encouraged, and Boone stared stubbornly at the roof. The words 'Good Job' were just about the limits of his bedside manner.

"I'm all done," Jack announced finally, releasing the leg and reaching for a hot wet cloth. "You alright?" he asked. He had to sew the leg up now, that that wouldn't be pleseant.

"Fine," Boone said through gritted teeth. Jack poured some of the scotch onto the new cloth and set it down for later. He picked up a needle, and wiped the edge off in the scotch, while threading it with pink thread.

Boone lifted his head up just in time to see the color of choice. "Pink?" he asked.

"Is the least of your problems," Jack replied, tying off a knot. He grabbed hold of the leg again. "This is going to hurt," he warned. He poked the needle through both sides of the skin, and pulled it up to tighten the string.

Boone hissed, and Shannon crawled over to him and squeezed his hand. "Do you have to?" he asked.

"Yes, I do, and its going to hurt a lot more in a couple of seconds. The cut gets pretty big, but I'll be able to stitch it." Jack bent over again and ignored Boone's grunts of protest, sewing the leg up as fast as he could. When he finished, he tied of the thread and cut the remainder off.

"See, not that bad," he said, smiling up and Boone. Boone had his eyes closed, and Shannon's fingers were turning blue. Jack got the cloth he'd laid aside and wrapped it firmly around Boone's leg, tying it off gently.

"How does your arm feel?" Jack asked, pulling the pant legging -or what was left of it- over the bandage. He moved to Boone's side, studying the arm in question.

"Does it matter?" Boone asked good-naturally albeit a bit bitter. He realized what he was doing to Shannon's hand and let go.

Jack smiled and replied, "Not really," before untying his former shirt. The wound had stopped bleeding, and Jack grabbing the alcohol-covered cloth, beginning to remove all the small bits and pieces, finding soil, grass and rocks. Boone balled his hands into fists, but Jack was quick to chastise. "Boone, relax your hand. It'll be harder to do this when you're all tensed up."

"Then don't do it," Boone muttered under his breath. If Jack heard him, he didn't respond.

Jack took out the needle again, and Boone eyed it warily. "This shouldn't hurt as much as your leg did, and it just needs a couple," Jack said. He threaded the needle and sewed him up with four sittings. "There," Jack declared, wrapping Boone's arm in another wet cloth. "That wasn't so bad, was it?"

"What do you consider bad?" Jack chuckled, shaking his head, quickly cleaning out a cut on Boone's cheek he hadn't really noticed before. "I'm going to take the stitches out in a couple of days, and after that your body should be able to make due on its own." Jack wiped Boone's cheek once more.

"You done yet?" Boone asked weakly. All he wanted to do was sleep, not be patched up and poked.

"All done. Get some rest, but make certain you don't go to sleep. I'll be back in a little while just to check up." He turned his attention to Shannon. "I'm going to leave this stuff here, and if something happens, don't hesitate to come and get me. Make sure he doesn't go to sleep," Jack reminded once more as he left the tent and headed back towards his own cave.

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"Hey Charlie," Jack greeted. Charlie looked up. "Thanks for staying here with her," Jack said as he went over to the girl and slid his arms underneath her legs and back.

"Not a problem mate," Charlie answered, supporting her head and neck as Jack lifted her off the makeshift stretcher and onto a natural rock ledge that'd been covered with blankets.

"Do you think she'll attack us like she did Boone?" Charlie asked, wiping his hands off on his pants. He looked at Jack for reassurance.

"I'm not sure Charlie, but I know she won't be jumping around anytime soon; look." Jack pointed to the girls' hip, showing Charlie how it stuck out. "Her hips probably dislocated, but I'm not entirely sure. I don't want to do anything rash while she's in this state. She's young, maybe 15, or 16, but the shock might put her into cardiac arrest."

"But… if you fix it… will it, you know, hurt her?"

"It shouldn't…"

"Well, I sure hope your right, about the jumping part I mean… for everyone's sake," Charlie stated, leaving the cave.

"So do I," Jack whispered, adjusting the neck brace once more, looking at the cut on her left arm, slowly beginning to bandage it. She looked a bit familiar, and he felt that he knew her. He moved a hair out of her eye before tying off the bandage.

"So do I…"

TBC…

-Lost- 

**Cohen101**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Lost, though I wish I did, just like everyone else. **

**As you can tell, this is an AU story, and Boone is alive. They don't know about The Others, or the French chic, and Claire hasn't had the baby yet. **

**This is a rewrite. I began this story way back in September 05', and I'm very critical of my own work. I rewrote this chapter to what I think is a better copy, and will probably rewrite the next couple chapters as well. I hope I've changed them for the better, but if you don't think so, tell me and I'll be happy to change it back to the original one, because I still have it. **

**  
Please review, and tell me if you like this copy better, or the old one better. **

**P.S. Chapter 16 should be up soon, but I'm not going to have time to write all next week-- the school plays going up all week, and I'll be busy till 9 everyday, and I have no idea how I'm going to do homework, but yeah. Expect Chapter 16 in the very near future. :D**


	2. 2 Silent Perceiver

**2.2 The Silent Perceiver**

It'd been four days since the silent girl had attacked Boone in the forest, and Boone was healing well, his headaches and nausea gone. Jack still confined him to bed, arguing that even though he's symptoms were gone, it didn't mean that he was home free. His cuts were healing even better, and after a short episode of hysteria led by Shannon, concerning puss, Boone had refused to let her or anyone else bandage him, only allowed Jack to dress his arm wound, to where he couldn't reach.

Boone was becoming his usual self, itching to get out of bed, the only one keeping him from disobeying Jack and going out to work being Shannon. She was on him like a fly, and they bickered constantly, only stopping long enough for Boone to go do his business, but resuming right after.

Within 12 hours of being placed in the cave, the silent girl woke, just as Jack was changing her bandages.

"Hey," he whispered softly.

The girl just tilted her head and stared.

"What's your name?" he asked, keeping the same tone, reaching for her arm.

She pulled away, and stared at the scab that had formed. Before Jack could stop her, she brought it to her mouth and ripped the scab off. Blood started flowing from it, and she sucked on it, like a vampire.

"What are you…?" Jack asked, not finishing his sentence. She spit out the blood that had collected in her mouth, and Jack saw traces of black. "What…?"

She repeated this a couple of times, and then extended her arm to Jack. "Was that poison?" Jack asked, but she didn't answer. He continued to question her, but she didn't answer any of them. Just stared at him with her big, golden eyes.

For every time Boone argued, talked, and pouted, saying he was fine and well able, the girl that Jack had force Kate to bring back to camp said nothing. The only thing she ever did was look at Jack. Look with her vividly golden eyes. Every time Jack went into the cave, from where he still had not moved her, her eyes were open, looking and listening to everything Jack said and did. It didn't matter if someone was in the cave with Jack; she never took her eyes off him.

He'd seen that look before, with some of his less fortunate patients. The look that was expecting something to happen… something that would prove that he was not to be trusted. Whenever he changed that bandage on her arm, her only cut, she looked him in the eye. It had gotten to the point of where Jack slept outside at night, unable to bare the eye's he knew were boring into his back.

Trying to get her to talk at all was a problem; much less ask her what happened that day with Boone. She wouldn't talk when he asked, which was no surprise at that point. Boone ended up being more willing to co-operate, but it still did no good.

"What's wrong with me Jack?" he asked one day, after Jack had once again asked him if he knew what had happened. "Am I going crazy or something?" Boone buried his head in his hands.

"No, Boone, don't worry, its nothing like that," Jack, laughed. "Its just that you had a concussion. You had what we call a Grade 3 concussion. You were out cold for a long time, and that cut on your heads pretty nasty. Your brain was slammed to the other side of your head. It's a good thing that that's all you can't remember."

"How do you know I didn't just faint?" Boone asked, not entirely sure what Jack had said.

"Because your brain got bashed around your skull. Syncope is just a shortage of oxygen. You just had… a mildly traumatic brain injury," Jack tried to explain.

"But how do you know what I got was mild?" Boone asked, curious.

"Well, your sitting here now asking me questions, aren't you?" Jack laughed.

"So me not knowing what happened is only a side effect? Like, memory loss?"

"Exactly, it's really quite common, the memory loss thing."

"Did I have any other side effects?" Boone asked, genuinely interested.

"Yeah, do you remember when I was shining that light into your eyes when you woke up?" Jack asked, wondering if Boone remembered or if he'd been too far-gone at that point.

"Um…no?"

"Well, I was checking to see if one of your pupils was larger then the other. Which it was, so, that also showed me that you had a concussion. And there was a whole bunch of other stuff, but- But-" he said, ignoring Boone's protests, "now you have to go to sleep and stop talking okay? I get a feeling your only interested because you don't want to sleep." Jack directed, pushing Boone into a lying position.

"Yeah, that's all I'm hearing these days, I'm not a baby ya know," Boone complained, and then he adopted a high, squeal-y voice. "Boone, get some sleep, Boone, stop talking, Boone, -" He stopped short and glanced up at Shannon, who was standing over him, glaring.

"If that's supposed to be me, you really suck at imitations dumbass." Shannon glared.

"Ah, put a stick in it, my Queen, I'm supposed to be sleeping," and with that Boone rolled over and ignored Shannon.

"Take it easy you two," Jack said, laughing a little, letting himself out of the dark tent, and into the sun.

-----------------------------

Jack sat in the cave, looking at the girl, who, in turn, was looking back at him.

"What's your name?" Jack asked, softly, for the hundredth time.

The girl blinked and stared at him.

"Okay, how about we play a game? Its called "20 questions". I'll ask 20, then you answer, then you ask me 20." He looked for any type of response, but drew up a blank.

"Alright," he started. "Where did you come from?" The girl didn't answer.

"Why did you attack Boone?" The girl twitched slightly, but didn't answer.

"Why don't you talk to anyone?" Jack asked. The girl said nothing.

"How old are you?" Nothing.

"Can't you just tell me how old you are, or what your name is?" Jack asked, quickly becoming frustrated.

"Whe-," Jack paused, looking up as an unlikely guest walked into cave.

"Are you still trying to get her to talk?" The intruder laughed. "I think she's a mute Jack, she'll never talk to you or anyone."

"Why have you come this time, Kate?" Jack asked, tired of fighting with her about his decision to bring her back.

"Don't worry. This is your problem, not mine. If someone gets hurt, it's going to be your fault, and I can say that I tried to persuade you not to take her. It's on your hands now. Anyways," Kate said, walking to the cave entrance. "Want to come and help me pick some flowers for Sun's garden?"

Jack hesitated. Maybe this was a peace offering. They'd been at each other's throats for the best part of the last couple of days, and Jack hated fighting with Kate. "Alright, just let me change her bandages…" Kate sighed in disgust and walked back so she could watch.

The girl shifted her eyes from Jack to Kate once Kate had come into view again. Jack worked quickly on her arm, too used to the staring to notices its gaze had shifted from him to Kate. Kate felt herself becoming nervous and self-conscious.

"Why is she staring at me Jack?" Kate asked, a little perturbed. She shifted closer to Jack.

"Oh, she is?" Jack finished unwrapping the old strip of cloth and set the new one next to her. "She's never done that before… cool." He felt Kate move closer to him. "Don't worry, you'll get used to it," he reassured.

"Yeah, well, I don't want to be used to it, alright? Its… creepy." Kate shivered.

"Really?" Jack looked at the girl remembering all the times he had given up and gone to sleep outside because he knew that she was staring at him. "I guess, kind of… Are you actually scared Kate?" Jack laughed.

"No," Kate said defensively. But she didn't distance herself away from Jack.

"Right," Jack teased as he finished wrapping the wet bandage around the wound. He took the old one and placed it in a type of pot. "Common Kate, seriously though, I think she stares if she likes you." Jack took Kate's hand and squeezed it reassuringly. He gently led her away from the girl.

Jack paused at the mouth of the cave. "You stay here if you don't want to get hurt, alright?" he yelled into it, Kate pulling on his hand, trying to lead him away. Jack finally gave in, not knowing why he expected an answer.

-----------------------

"Boone, you awake?" Shannon asked, softly. Boone didn't move. "Boone…" she said again, this time louder, nudging him with her foot. "Boone, you dumbass, wake up!" she lightly kicked him and he reluctantly rolled over to face her.

"What the hell's the matter with you?" Boone asked, grumpy. "The one time I can actually get to sleep, you go and wake me up. Thanks a bunch sweetie."

"You know that girl, the one in Jack's cave?" Shannon asked, feeling a bit guilty that she'd woken up her brother.

"Yeah, what about her?" Boone asked, rubbing his eyes. Why the hell had Shannon woken him up in the middle of sleep, to ask about some dumb girl? Couldn't she have asked after he'd woken up?

"Is she the one that hurt you like this?"

"Um…" Boone didn't know what to say. He thought she was, but he couldn't remember a thing that had happened. "Well, I wouldn't be still in bed if someone would let me go out and help. She didn't hurt me that bad."

"Oh, don't you start that with me again. Listen, you need to rest, Jack said so. Besides, what kind of work is there to do anymore?"

"Um, lets see, collecting firewood, taking water down to the beach, copping up logs, helping Sayid with the transmitter, helping Locke hunt. Anything I could do would be better then anything you do. You're just sitting around doing nothing."

"I am not sitting around doing nothing, I'm taking care of you, hard as it might be to accept it."

"Oh, that's your excuse this time. Now people won't glare at you for doing nothing, cause now you have an excuse to do nothing. I'm not a baby Shannon. I can take care of myself." Boone said, glaring at her.

"Well, you're doing a good job showing it there, assface." Shannon retorted.

"You know what? I'm done talking to you. Good night Shannon," Boone said, turning his back on her.

"Good night asshat," Shannon said, as she left the tent. She began walking, to nowhere in particular. The nerve Boone had, talking to her like that. He was just an ungrateful little brat, who though he had to save everyone and everything. Why couldn't he just cut the damn self-righteous act and just focus on himself for the moment? He was always trying to protect her, but she wasn't a baby either. She stopped when she noticed she had wandered right to the entrance of the shallow cave Jack usually stayed in. It was dark inside, and she couldn't see anything. The rock ledge was empty and there were blankets folded up nicely on top of it.

She saw Walt walking by with Vincent, and stopped him with her hand. "Hey, Walt, do you know where Jack and that girl went?"

Walt looked at her, then behind her into the cave. "I saw Jack leaving with Kate a little while ago, but the girl should be in there…" Walt squinted his eyes, trying to see into the darkness. "Anyways," he said, giving up, "how's Boone doing?"

"Ah, well, being the same asshole of a brother he always is." Shannon paused then covered her mouth. "Shoot, um… I didn't say that, okay?" she said, smiling innocently at Walt.

"Don't worry about it, people say worse when they don't know your there," he sighed. "Anyways, I got to go give this to my dad, so, cya?"

"Uh, right, cya."

"Make sure Boone gets better," he shouted at her, as he went into the jungle with his dog.

Shannon took one last look into the cave and dismissed the missing girl from her head. She had to get back to the tent to make sure that Boone wasn't becoming his old self, and thinking about doing something stupid.

----------------------

She half ran, half limped through the woods, following the doctor's and Kate's expedition. Four days lying in the cave, doing nothing but sleeping and annoying the doctor had left her muscles sore, and her reflexes low.

Her hip was badly bruised, most likely dislocated, but she refused to talk to the doctor, who asked three times a day if it would be all right if he took a look at it. They could just rot it out until it died. She shook of the pain, progressing to the neat trials into dense foliage.

These people seemed to have almost created a civilization in the jungle. But they didn't know the worst of it. She passed through the jungle, a silent perceiver of night.

-----------------------

"What's with you and that kid Jack?" Kate asked, stopping to pick up a couple of odd shaped plants stuck stubbornly in the ground. Jack stopped behind her. "I mean," she continued when Jack didn't answer. "She doesn't even talk to you. All she does is stare, and sleep. What happens if someday she snaps, and attacks you?" Kate grunted and threw all her weight onto the plant, which suddenly released its death-grip. Jack automatically put out his hands, Kate landing promptly in them. Jack held her there for a moment while they looked at each other.

"Well," Jack said, helping her get back on her feet. He knew this was going to pop up, if not be the whole reason for the trip. "You would be right, and I would be wrong. Just leave it okay? Like you said, if something happens, it'll be on my hands, not yours. I know this isn't your problem," he turned to go, frustrated.

"Jack, wait," Kate called, hurt. "Look, I'm sorry, but I'm just really worried."

"Well then don't worry," Jack answered shortly. "Look, I know what I'm doing, okay?" He put his hand on her arm. "Just trust me."

Kate looked down at his hand. "Its just," she started softly, "When I saw Boone, all bloody and cut-" she took a breath. "I don't want to see anyone else like that… I don't want to see you like that Jack." She looked up into his eyes.

"Well you won't," Jack consoled, surprised to see her almost crying. All his angry disseminated, and he pulled her in for a comforting hug. "Cause I know what I'm doing." He kissed her lightly on the top of her head. So this was what it had all been about. The arguing, the fighting. She didn't want him getting hurt. He smiled. "I know this sounds bizarre, but I need you to promise me, that if something ever happens to me, you'll protect her." Kate looked up at him. "I know it sounds weird, but, I feel like I've known her for a long time, and I just want her to be safe… promise?" Jack pleaded.

"Okay…" Kate said oddly, "I just hope your right Jack, I just hope," Kate answered, hugging him back, leaning her head against his chest, and breathing in his scent. They stayed like that for minutes, Kate giving into Jack's soothing arms. She felt safe.

"Now, lets go give these to Sun," he finally said, nodding towards the flowers. "And get back to the caves so people don't start worrying about where we've been."

Kate nodded and separated from Jack. She giggled, embarrassed. Jack smiled at her and led the way to Sun's garden. So they were all right after all, he thought.

-----------------------------

She watched from behind a tree, careful to stay silent. That girl, Kate, was crazy! Why would she want to attack someone like Jack, who kept her safe and cared about other people? Sure, she wanted to annoy him, but she would never attack him… or anyone he cared about.

He'd already given so much more to her then anyone else had, in the past couple days she'd known him. Everyone from his people seemed fine- true she'd only met one or two other people excluding Jack, but why in the world would she hurt nice people?

Unless… Jack did something to prove that this was all an act. She was going to stay quiet until she knew exactly what was going on. She'd been tricked to many times before to allow it to happen again. But so far, so good.

But the one in the jungle, Boone they called him. He was the bad one. They didn't know what he was capable of. Give me a gun and I'd shoot a person like Boone before you could say gun, she thought darkly.

Kate and the doctor disappeared, and she decided to head back to the cave before anyone noticed her absence.

-------------------------

She heard footsteps and laughing outside the cave before she saw anyone.

"Are you sure you don't want me to walk you down to the beach?" Jack's protective voice floated into the cave. She smiled.

"Yeah, I'm walking down with Michael," Kate's voice followed, "Don't worry."

"Kate, how about you move-"

"No Jack! Listen, you have your reasons for keeping that girl with you… I have my reasons for staying at the beach. You're not going to change my mind," Kate countered. "Night Jack," she said softly after a pause.

"Night Kate," Jack sighed, and her smile grew. That was sweet.

Jack watched Kate until she disappeared into the leafage, then turned around and walked into the cave.

"How you doing kiddo?" Jack asked brightly. Every night before bed, he came into the cave and just talked. He hoped it would stimulate the girl to say something, anything. So he talked about anything and everything, if only for a few minutes. Hopefully, someday, she would talk back to him, but he was slowly giving up hope.

"You know, girls are weird," he continued. "They'll yell at you, hit you, say things, when they want it all to have the opposite effect on you. I mean, one minute you're yelling at each other, arguing, then BANG," Jack clapped his hands together. "They finally tell you what they meant by all the screaming, and you forgive them like that… Is being a girl hard? Jack asked, shaking his head.

She smiled at his silliness. He was so cute sometimes.

"Wow, I got a smile out of you," he laughed. "Score, one for Jack, three million and counting for Mrs. Silent," Jack paused. "Am I giddy?" he asked. She smiled wider.

"Oh dear lord, I am giddy. It's the girls again. Kate, I think, that's the source of my problems. All right, I'm being giddy. Am I talking to much?" Jack looked at the girl, who stopped smiling.

"Wow… its like talking to a rock that smiles and… what's the opposite of a smile?" Jack thought hard.

"Un-smile? Um…" he looked at his silent listener. She scrunched her face up, making herself frown.

"Oh!" Jack exclaimed. "A frown," he said, starting to laugh. "Wow, I think I'm hyper or something," he stated after he calmed down a bit. "Here, I'll make you a deal. You tell me your name, and then… I'll stop talking." Jack looked intently at the girls face. "Ah, screw it, I'm going to sleep. Just don't… stare at me like you usually do, alright?"

Jack put together some blankets on the floor to lie on. "Well, night, night who ever you are… And don't try and stab me, or Kate'll kill you," he joked softy to himself. He lowered himself to the floor and turned around to face the girl. Suddenly feeling extremely sleepy, he curled up, he rearranged his pillows, and then snuggled his face into his arm. He closed his eyes, and set his mind on sleeping.

"Danoso…"

Jack opened his eyes and stared. Had he imagined it? "What did you say?" he asked, propping himself up on his elbows.

"My name… its, Danoso…" The girl answered, raising her eyebrows, winking at Jack. Her voice was one that was used to cockiness and misunderstanding. Her very tone was laughing at Jack, and his girl problems. She shut her eyes and curled up into a tiny ball.

Jack stared at her. He opened his mouth, but then closed it again. He slid down back to the floor, and closed his eyes.

Screw it. Sleep first, talk later. That was his island motto.

TBC…

**-LOST-**

Cohen101

A/N: Didn't really change anything in this chapter. Drop a review if your reading for the first time, or save it till you get to the end, doesn't matter. But they are greatly appreciated, and I'd love to read what you have to say about the story.


	3. 3 Trust

**3.3 Trust**

A thin ray of sunlight was all it took to wake Jack from his deep slumber. He disorientedly swatted his sleep enticed hand at the ray, trying to make it go away. Every time his hand reached a position that blocked the ray, it would move and shine into his eye at a different angle. Five times this happened when Jack finally had enough and buried his head in to the blankets he had been sleeping on. Then, out of nowhere, he heard laughter.

"Light doesn't change angles, does it?" Jack stated after a short pause. He opened his eyes slightly to see what the hell was going on. He caught sight of the girl -Danoso was it? - laughing quietly at him and holding his watch. She fiddled around with it, reflecting the sunlight from the mouth of the cave into Jack's eye.

Jack winced and covered it with his hand, while she laughed again. "Think it's funny, do you?" Jack grumbled angrily, and the girl stopped laughing. "Great," he muttered, more to himself then anyone. "For the first five days, I have a mute girl, and now all she wants to do is annoy me."

He got up and stretched, walking over to Danoso, who was trying to aim the watch into Jack's now-mobile eye. "Give me that," he said irritably, but he could sense a bit of playfulness in his tone. She managed to blind him briefly once more before he snatched it away. "You're names Danoso, right?" Jack yawned, and she nodded.

"Stay put, and I'll be right back, okay?" Danoso shook her head, grinning in response.

"I'm serious," Jack said, "Stay here or your going to get hurt." She glared at Jack, and Jack patted her head playfully. "I'll be right back, just gotta check up on someone."

Danoso growled at him and slapped his hand away. Jack laughed, and headed out of the cave to see how Boone was doing.

--------------------------

"Boone, what the HELL do you think your doing with that?" Shannon's voice could be heard from where Jack was standing, 15 feet away from the tent. He shook his head and continued on.

"Holy crap you scared me! Keep your voice down Shan, or you're going to wake up everyone in the goddamn island!" Boone's figure could be seen standing near the tent flap, holding something.

"What the hell do you think you're doing Boone? You're going to hurt yourself!"

"No, I'm not Shannon, cause, unlike you, I don't think that I'll look better being anorexic, and I actually have some muscles."

"Just lie down and go to sleep you dumbass, your gonna hurt yourself." Shannon brought her voice a decibel down.

"Hey you two, what're you doing up so early?" Jack asked, cutting off Boone's comeback.

"See, look, you woke up Jack. Way to go Princess Sparkles," Boone said, glaring at Shannon.

"Who the HELL is Princess Sparkles?" Shannon asked, matching Boone's glare.

"Hey, hey, that doesn't matter right now, does it? Boone, what is it you were trying to do?" Jack asked, trying to keep the peace. He glanced at Shannon, who looked triumphant, and then to Boone, who looked like a deer caught in headlights.

"Well," Shannon explained a bit snobbishly, "My smartass brother here was wielding an axe, and he was about to leave when he stepped on me."

"Wow," Boone feigned surprise, "I never knew you had words like wielding in your vocabulary!"

"Boone, what were you doing with an axe?" Jack asked, ignoring their childlike bickering.

"Look, I'm not going to rest anymore. I haven't done anything in five days, and you should be happy with that. I don't care what you and Shannon say, I'm going to go do something productive!" Boone announced it as a challenge, but when he looked at him, Jack could see he was looking for approval.

"Look, Boone, I know you feel useless, but you can't go out and start chopping up firewood after what happened to you. If you were in a hospital, they'd keep you for a week to monitor your cuts, bruises, your brain, and start an IV."

"I-" Boone started. "I wasn't going out to chop wood," he lied weakly, letting the axe drop out of his hands.

"Look, I have no objection to you helping out," Jack tried to reason. "That's the reason I came here. To say that you would be fine to go out and walk around today, just not do anything physical. But I'm not giving you my okay to go out and collecting firewood, chopping firewood, carrying water back and forth, or going on any hunting hikes with Locke, okay?"

Boone shook his head. "Fine, whatever, but what else is there to do, that I can do?" he asked. Jack had pretty much forbidden everything he did on the island. What was there left to do now?

"Well, if you want, you can help me." Jack answered.

"With what?" Boone asked, not sure he could do anything Jack would want him for.

"You'll see," Jack answered, motioning Boone to follow him. He walked out of the tent, Boone limping behind him. Jack took notice of his limp immediately.

"What's wrong with your leg?" Jack asked, stopping immediately.

"Nothing," Boone said quickly. "You know, it just hurts a little." He shrugged it off, and Jack choose to ignore it for the time being.

-----------------------------------

"You want me to _what_ out of _what_?" Boone said in disbelief.

"Yep. A cane out of wood. A lot of people injure their legs, ankles, shines, calf's you name it. Back home, they would be given crutches to support themselves. Well, you're going to make the next best thing. A cane. Then, maybe later when you finish, you can start making a pair of crutches." Jack smiled at the look on Boone's face. "It's either this, or going back to the tent to rest with Shannon hovering over you."

"I hate you," Boone said, sitting down leaning against a tree. "Did you know that?" He looked up at Jack who tossed him a knife. Boone picked up the knife and the piece of wood Jack laid down for him. "I seriously hate you."

"Yep, a lot of people do when their hurt. It sort of comes with the job. Have fun," Jack encouraged, turning to walk back. "And don't work too hard either."

"How the hell am I supposed to do this Jack?" Boone yelled at him, frustrated.

"Figure it out, you'll be a pro," and with that Jack disappeared, heading back to his cave.

"Figure it out he says. I'll show him, I'll give him the best damn cane he's ever seen." Boone muttered, starting to skin the log with the knife.

-------------------- 

When Jack got back to the cave, Danoso was drawing a picture in the sand. It was a cartoon dragon, and it was breathing fire, smoke coming out of its nostrils.

"What you drawing there kiddo?" Jack asked, crouching down to get a closer look.

Danoso looked up at Jack. She grinned and drew a little stick figure in front of the flames. She gave it a stethoscope and labeled it "JAK", drawing an arrow pointing to the stick person.

"Oh, so your funny now?" Jack said dryly, holding in a laugh. Danoso nodded. "Go sit on the ledge so I can do your arm," Jack said almost scolding. Danoso obliged, leaning against the rocks, watching Jack get a bandage ready.

"Hey, Jack, want to go on a walk?" Kate asked, wandering into the cave. Her hair was partly wet, drying into dark, bouncy curls.

"Yeah, sure, why not, just give me a sec. I've got to-"

"-change her bandages, yeah, I know." Kate finished for him, laughing. Jack smiled at her and started working on Danoso's arm.

"So, has she said anything yet?" Kate asked, trying to start up a conversation, wandering around the cave absentmindedly.

"Yep, yesterday, she told me her name." Kate stopped walking and looked at Jack.

"Danoso," came a voice, the same one Jack heard, the night before. Kate looked at the girl and Danoso smiled at her, laughing. Jack looked up at Danoso, then at Kate.

"See?" he said, continuing his wrapping, ridiculously proud. "She said her name," he stated.

"Right…" Kate continued her meaningless pacing until she noticed the picture Danoso had drawn into the sand. She crouched down and examined it. When she saw the miniature Jack with his stethoscope, getting fried by the cartoon-ish dragon, she laughed.

Jack turned around to see what Kate was laughing about. "Oh, so now you both think its funny?" he said, when he saw her crouching over the sand picture.

"She drew this?" Kate asked, confused. It was a kiddish drawing, and Jack was spelt without a C, but she couldn't see the girl drawing something like it.

"Yeah, hilarious, isn't it?" Jack said deadpanned. Danoso grinned.

"Tell you what Jack." Kate stood up and brushed off her jeans, becoming impatient. "I'll go on ahead and you catch up alright?"

"Alright," Jack nodded. "Just don't go to fast."

"I won't don't worry," Kate promised flashing Jack a quick smile before exiting the cave, taking a left, to the beach. Jack turned back to Danoso without taking notice of Kate's direction.

"All done," Jack announced to no one in particular. He looked Danoso in the eye. "You stay right here, alright? I'll be back soon, so don't go outside the cave. Understand?" Danoso nodded.

"Okay, cya later kiddo," Jack said, leaving Danoso behind in the cave. Jack started walking automatically towards the beach when he stopped. He hadn't seen Kate go this way, had he? He tried to think back and remember which way she went. To the beach, or to the forest? Beach, forest, beach, forest, beach, forest, beach, forest… If I were Kate, where would I go? Jack thought finally. It was the best way to solve this kind of situation, thinking like the person. Well, she might have gone to the beach, because the path was familiar, and she could walk it easily. Or, she might have gone down to the forest for a change of scenery…

Who was he kidding, he couldn't think like Kate. The girl had too many different emotions and needs, and things he couldn't even understand. Taking his chances, Jack turned around and took the right, to the forest, timidly calling out Kate's name.

**---------------------------------------**

"_AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!_"

Jack froze. He heard a scream. A very familiar scream.

Kate's scream.

"Kate," he whispered, bolting back the way he came. He tore through the jungle, wondering what the hell had happened to her, realizing that she had, in fact, gone to the beach. He jumped over rocks and tree roots, surprised to find how quickly and easily he could maneuver around them. His breath came easier and he no longer had to think where to place his feet, duck his head, or swipe at a branch. Running around the forest trying to save people did have a positive effect on his body after all.

Dodging the last branch before it whipped him in the face, he scurried up the dirt that led to his cave. When he got there, he saw Kate struggling to open Boone's eye with her hands, attempting to blow at it gently.

"Boone, stop being such a child," Kate scolded, oblivious of Jack, momentarily removing her hand from Boone's eyelid to smack his hand down.

"Damnit Kate, it hurts!" Boone exclaimed, also not noticing Jack, attempting to rub his eyes again.

"For the last time, keep your hands down!" Kate said, beginning to get annoyed. She finally backed him into the wall and began blowing, aiming to tear the tiny grains of dirt out of Boone's eye.

"How do you know you're even helping? Were you a doctor in a previous life?" Boone asked, fighting the instinct to rub his eye.

"She's doing the right thing Boone," Jack explained, walking up, trying to look into Boone's eye. "What's in there?" he asked Kate.

There was something odd about the feeling of the cave, and he looked around, noticing something missing. "Where's Danoso? What happened here?" Jack asked, his mind jumping to a thousand and one conclusions.

"I'll tell you what the hell happened!" Boone shouted, pushing Kate away. "Your crazy ass kid tried to kill me again! She attacked me and threw freakin' _dirt_ in my eye before someone came to help. She's a psychotic bitc-" Boone stopped as Kate pushed him back against the wall, opening his eye again.

"Jack," Kate started, all business. "They took Danoso out somewhere by the drinking pool. I don't know what they're going to do to her, but I suggest you go find out." Kate continued to blow in Boone's eye, loathing the tiny grains that refused to come out.

"But-" Jack protested, looking at Boone.

"I'll take care of Boone, go," Kate reassured. Jack hesitated. "Go!" Kate finally shouted. Jack ran out of the cave and towards the drinking pool.

"Look, it's Jack!" a voice shouted. It sounded like a child's. Jack looked around curiously for Danoso, quickly scanning the faces of the crowd that had gathered. 'Please let her be okay,' he thought to himself, still unable to find her. He pushed past some people, trying to get into the middle of the crowd.

"Why the hell did you attack him, uh?" It was Michael. "Why'd you do it?" Michael shouted, and Jack knew he was beginning to get frustrated. He pushed his way through the crowd of people, which parted surprisingly easy.

"Michael!" Jack shouted. "Michael!" he shouted again, trying to get Michaels attention. "Michael!" he shouted, louder then all the rest. But either Michael couldn't hear him or he was ignoring him. He was standing over Danoso, who was sitting against a tree, with her hands… tied. She had her eyes turned to the ground and was completely and utterly ignoring him.

"Michael!" Jack shouted for what seemed like the fiftieth time, finally freed from the crowd. Michael turned around to face the person who was shouting his name, surprised.

"You!" he accused, distinguishing Jack. He glared as he came closer to Jack, finally shoving him backwards.

Jack wasn't prepared for the attack, and stumbled on a protruding rock, catching himself with a He-man effort.

"Don't you touch him!" Danoso shouted from the tree, and Michael stopped in a mid-shove. He turned on her, and she pulled angrily on her restraints.

"What'd you say?" Michael asked menacingly, advancing towards her.

"Touch him again," Danoso growled in such a threatening voice, most of the people gathered backed away a step or two, "And I'll whoop your sorry ass to Honolulu and back." She pulled against her wrists, struggling to stand up.

"Why you little-"

"Hey, hey, hey," Jack shouted, playing the part of peacekeeper once more. "Guys, stop. Stop!" He tried to step between the two, but Michael pushed him away.

"Don't you tell me to stop Jack, you're the one who brought her here!" he went to shove Jack again, but Jack sidestepped him.

"Stop shoving me, or things are going to get ugly!" Jack warned, tired of being manhandled. "Just let me talk to her for a bit, so both of you have a chance to cool off." Jack pointed away form him and Danoso.

"Common dad," Walt whispered, stepping out from the crowd and tugging apprehensively on his dad's shirt. Michael glared once more at Danoso, and took the hand Walt had stretched out to him. "Damn kid," he muttered under his breath.

Jack shook his head, watching Walt pull his dad away. He turned to the crowd, who were in the same position. "Uh, nothing to see here people, go back to… whatever the hell we're supposed to be doing on this island…" The people didn't move.

Jack looked at them expectantly. Someone in the back coughed loudly, which was odd, because Jack knew that no one had any trace of a cold. But it seemed to work, and they slowly started to disperse.

Charlie came up to Jack, going in the opposite direction of everyone else. "Maybe, I should stay here with you… you know, just incase," he said, shifting his eyes to and fro Danoso.

"I think I'll be fine Charlie, but thanks," Jack nodded politely.

"Right mate… just, be careful," Charlie advised, giving Danoso one last glance.

Danoso started him straight in the eye, waiting until he looked away before looking at Jacks disapproving face. Jack waited until Charlie was out of sight before beginning to speak.

"So…" he started out lamely. He walked towards her, with no idea what to do. Wanting to take the role of a friend, he sat down on the forest floor next to her, leaning against the same tree. "You gonna talk to me?" he asked, playing with a piece of grass.

"Maybe," Danoso replied in the same tone, looking up at the sky. A couple birds flew out from the trees noiselessly. "You gonna untie me?" she asked.

"I think you need a little more time to cool off."

Danoso nodded. It was his subtle, discreet way of telling her that he was the one in control, and she really had no other choice in the matter.

"Why weren't you talking before?" Jack gently probed.

Danoso took a long time to answer, thinking through if she actually wanted to talk _with _Jack, or talk _to_ him. "I, wanted to see how long it would take before you gave up. It was fun." Even to her it sounded bad.

"Is that really why?"

Danoso pulled against the rope on her wrists. He had the power to leave her tied up here for as long as he wanted to. But she knew that he didn't want to, which made her say, "Because I wanted to see if I could trust you."

"So what made you finally talk? Trust me?" Jack asked, curious. He remembered the picture she had drawn in the sand, and the game she'd played with his watch. She had loosened up after she told him her name.

"I don't trust you," she snapped. People could use things like trust against you. "Not yet," she added, trying to soften the blow. "I felt bad," she finished feebly.

Jack rubbed his face with a hand, and Danoso knew she would have to give better answers if she ever wanted to get untied.

"I felt bad, cause, you actually cared about me. I can tell that you're good. You proved that you're good." She glanced at Jack, seeing what kind of reaction she would get. He nodded, playing with a blade of grass. It sounded like a decent answer to him, though he didn't ask how he'd 'proven' that he was 'good'.

"Why did you threaten Michael like that? I think you scared everyone."

She didn't know why she snapped at Michael like that, and she usually didn't talk like that. Well, she knew why. She just didn't want to tell Jack. He was the first decent guy that she'd met on the island, but she didn't want him to know that; to know that she was starting to trust him, if only a little. Trust was a dangerous thing.

After a second, Jack asked, "Why did you attack him?" He didn't need an answer on the Michael question. Not yet at least.

Danoso looked up at him. "Who?" she asked confused.

"Boone…" Jack slowly said, confused. "You attacked him. Twice. Why?"

Danoso sucked in her breath. This was one question that she didn't want to answer, but she knew Jack wouldn't let go unanswered. She turned to face Jack and he felt her arm twitch by his lower back. He didn't say anything, although he knew she was pleading with him. He had to know why she did it, because he couldn't risk anything like it happening again. To anyone.

Danoso looked around, glancing at the trees and bushes around them. "He's evil," she whispered quietly. Jack turned his body into her, expecting her to begin laughing. But her eyes were dead serious, and her body was shaking from something far from silent laughter.

"What?" Jack said, not believing she was serious.

"Boone, he's evil." She closed her eyes, and shuddered. "He hurt me," she said, opening them again. "And he's going to hurt all of you as well." She was looking Jack straight in the eye.

"Uh." His response sounded pathetic even to him. "Can you tell me what he did to you?" Jack asked, still hesitant to believe what she was saying about Boone.

Danoso clenched her teeth and stared stubbornly into the trees in front of her. He didn't believe her. He wanted to, but he wasn't. The way he forced his eyes to remain serious, the way his mouth twitched; he didn't believe a word she said. She couldn't tell Jack, but she couldn't not tell him anything. "Some times things are better left unknown," she whispered, looking down.

Well _that_ he wasn't expecting. It sounded like some prophet-tee thing, like some mysterious, creepy ghost ad you would see on TV. It was vague, he realized. Very vague. "Look," Jack said, as nicely as he could. "I'm positive that it wasn't Boone who did what you think he did to you."

"How do you know?" Danoso asked. He didn't believe her. But that was typical. No one ever believed her.

"Look, Boone might be hard-headed, but it isn't like him. He would never hurt anyone intentionally. I mean, in the real world, he was a certified lifeguard. When we fist crashed, he was out there with me, running around helping my try save people. First week here, there was a girl who drown, but Boone was the first one out there trying to save her."

"Do you know that, or is that what he told you?"

He didn't know that much about Boone's previous life, but he'd gotten to know him a little bit while on the island. "Whatever this other guy did to you, it wasn't Boone. I'm sure of that. Boone would never hurt someone if he didn't know him or her, and even if he had a reason to. Unless they were after someone he cared about. Boone's not that kind of person."

"So I'm supposed to take your word over my experience? How can you be so sure that it's not Boone?"

He was beginning to lose her, and she was getting worked up again. Her hands were working against the rope that held them, but he was sure that she wouldn't be able to break free. "I know Boone. I really _know_ him. This person that made… caused you so much distress wasn't Boone. It might have looked like him, but I'm telling you; it wasn't him. You might've just been…"

"Yes?" Danoso asked tensely.

"You might have been hallucinating it all." He could tell she wanted to smack him. "Look," he tried to calm her, but her muscles tensed more. "We don't know where you came from, or what happened to you. Can you blame us?" He gave Danoso a chance to provide the information, but she didn't so he stood up.

She knew how it was going to be. Unless she could provide him with the facts, he was going to believe what he wanted to. Danoso looked up at him annoyed.

"Think about it," he said, and started walking away.

"Where are you going?" Danoso yelled.

"I'll be back soon. Don't do anything stupid."

"Untie me!" she yelled, but he was gone. She watched him disappear, and started yanking on the ropes. "UNTIE ME!" she screamed, but there was no one there. She tugged harder and harder, but they weren't coming off, and she knew it. She thrashed more violently, but stopped when she felt blood on her arms from the bark. She slammed her back on the tree, aggravated. He couldn't just leave her there! But there was no way she could tell him. Not yet.

She stayed there, fuming in her own rage for a couple of minutes. She'd thought she could trust Jack, and now she was in the middle of who knows where, tied to a tree. If only she could get untied, she'd go out and find Boone. Give him a piece of her mind.

Which is just what Jack was preventing her from doing. Something clicked in her brain. If she attacked Boone again, who was oddly weaker then he had been before; she'd never been able to even get an upper edge on him, much less knock him out. But if she attacked Boone again, all of Jack's people would be angry with her. Probably tie her up, and never let her loose. And that would make her go mad.

And Jack was a good guy… maybe not trustworthy yet, but she did know that he wanted everyone to get along, and be safe. She stopped pulling on the rope, and relaxed her sore muscles. Maybe Jack was right. Maybe the Boone he knew was different then the Boone she knew.

Maybe.

Jack came back after ten minutes, pleased to see that Danoso had calmed down, and was no longer thrashing around hazardously. She saw him coming, but kept her eyes down. She didn't immediately start bad-mouthing him or flailing, so he took it as a good sign.

"Are you going to untie me?" she asked quietly. She knew that what Jack did was probably the best way for her to realize that he only meant well, but it didn't mean she was a tad bit angry.

Jack studied her. She was no longer challenging him, but still hadn't looked him in the eye. "Are you going to attack Boone, or anyone else?"

Danoso stared at the ground for a long time before she nodded her head. "Not any of your friends, no."

Jack hesitated before making his decision. "Who would you define as my friends?"

Danoso gave a half-hearted laugh. He wasn't going to make this easy. "The people you crashed with," she said, _still_ looking down.

Jack crouched down in front of her, and waited to see if she would look up to him. "Look at me," he ordered softly.

Danoso bit her lip. It wasn't so much of an order than a request. She slowly looked up at him.

"I won't let anyone hurt you," he promised. "But only if you don't attack anyone."

Danoso nodded her head, looking down again. She had to trust Jack, because there wasn't anything else she could really do.

"Promise?" Jack asked.

Danoso looked up at him without being asked. "Promise," she whispered. Jack smiled, and went around to untie her hands.

"What the HELL do you think you're doing Jack?" Michael asked, bursting into the little clearing from nowhere, Walt close behind him. Jack jumped up, caught off-guard.

"Michael-" Jack began.

"No," Michael cut in, "Jack, I don't care about you, but I don't want my son in danger because of your kid," Michael pointed to Danoso, who was trying to work out the last of the knots while doing her best to ignore Michael.

"She's not my kid. I understand that you want to keep Walt safe, Michael. But we talked, and we came to an understanding. She's not going to be a threat to anyone anymore." He was going to add something about how small she was, but the fact that she knocked Boone unconscious probably took away any and all hope of that line working.

Michael crossed his arms. "That's not good enough."

"Then tell me what will be."

Michael thought for a second. "She doesn't go anywhere alone. If she's not around you, or someone who'll take responsibility, I want her tied up, or in your cave. I don't want her wandering around by herself."

Danoso started protesting, but Jack cut her off so all that was heard was an odd sound of indignity.

"Alright, fine." Jack answered, and Danoso shook her head silently. This was a perfect way for him to keep an eye on her. He knew she wouldn't be happy, but it would keep Michael happy, and Jack informed, so majority ruled.

"And make sure she stays away from Walt!" Michael said, getting the last word. He stormed out of the clearing, ready to spread the word.

Jack went to Danoso, and untied the last few knots. "I know you're not happy-"

"Jack! This sucks. Of course I'm not happy, and I'm not okay with it!" She stood up quickly, but sat back down, getting a head-rush. She rubbed her wrists where the rope cut through, glaring at the scabbing cuts along her arms. "But I don't have a choice, do I?" she asked.

"Sorry, but no." Jack was relieved that she accepted it, happy that she wasn't having a tantrum.

They both stayed there for a moment, and Jack extended his hand to her. Danoso looked up to it, and took it apprehensively. He helped her up, and they stood there for a minute.

"So… what do you do around here? Exactly?" Danoso asked, painfully away of the fact that she would have to go everywhere with Jack, unless she found someone else to tail and cover for her.

He always seemed to be doing something, but he couldn't think of an answer now that he was asked what he did. "Um… I don't know?" They looked at each other and smiled, both containing a laugh. He wanted to do something relaxing; Danoso had been through enough hectic moments for one day.

"Uh, Hurley made a golf course a while ago… have you ever played golf?" Jack inquired, inspired. Hurley was a genius. True, the course had only a minimal amount of holes, but it was a course nonetheless.

Danoso stared at Jack. Had they really created a golf course on the island? "Um, no?" She'd never even held a golf club, much less played the game.

Jack shook his head in a mocking manner, and led the way to the small island golf course.

He watched as Danoso awkwardly followed him, though he didn't know it, unused to being around someone older and so much stronger and free to go which way she pleased… well, semi-free.

Jack smiled at his logic. When in doubt, play golf.

TBC…

**-LOST-**

** Cohen101**

**A/N: I've rewritten chapter three, and renamed it to what I think is a more appropriate title; that of "Trust". **

**Same as before, if you're a new reader, keep reading, and review at the end if you want, or if your re-reading this chapter, please review and tell me if it's any better then the old one, and which parts you like better/worse. Any and all feedback is appreciated.**

**Also, trying to stick to the PG13 rating, this story would contain more "F-words" if in real life. Please bare that in mind while reading, because personally, I think the show Lost itself would have more swearing in it, especially with characters like Sawyer, but I understand why they don't. If you want to make it more realistic, you're welcome to switch words around with some of the words I chose to make it rating appropriate. **


	4. 4 Revelations

**Thanks to _Gorgeous Nick Stokes _for reviewing  This chapters going to have some background, and sorry if I messed up anything on Jack. The season premier was awesome! Wonder how the hell they'll explain that one…**

**As always, please read and review, even if you say yay. Hope you like this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Lost. I wish I did, but you don't always get what you want. Unless what you want is to get nothing, then you do get what you want, nothing. **

**4.4 Revelations**

"Danoso, hey, kid, wake up." Danoso shook her head and turned away from the voice. She wanted to sleep, cause sleeping was good. It meant that she wouldn't have to do anything, but shut her eyes. Besides, yesterday's game of golf with Jack had lasted until nightfall, and by the time they got back, they were both whipped. Bottom line, she was tired.

"Danoso, wake, up!" Jack emphasized the last word by ripping off Danoso's blanket.

"Go away!" Danoso said grumpily, hugging herself.

"Danoso, if you don't wake up now, you're going to be stuck in this cave all day. I'm leaving in five minutes, and if you aren't by me, I won't wait up for you."

"Top of the morning to you too…you sound like my mother," Danoso muttered, sitting up and taking off the sweatshirt she slept in.

"Really? How about your dad?" Jack asked, attempting to joke. Danoso glared at him. Jack instinctively caught the balled up sweater aimed at his head she threw at him.

"What are we doing today?" Danoso asked hopefully.

"We're gonna be carrying water to the beach. They're running out, and since we have nothing else to do, I volunteered us," Jack replied, not seeing Danoso's face fall. He folded the sweater neatly and placed it on the ground.

"What are you now, the water boy?" Danoso asked.

"Nope, I'm the doctor, but they need water. Common, it won't be that bad," Jack reassured.

"How are we supposed to carry more then a couple bottles at a time, or do you aspire to grow multiple arms like Doc. Oct?" Danoso lay down on her back, closing her eyes.

"We'll be using backpacks. Now quit lazing and lets get started. The sooner we get done, the sooner we can do whatever else," Jack coaxed. He got up and disappeared from the cave. Danoso grumbled and reluctantly got up to follow.

"Here," Jack said as soon as Danoso left the cave. He threw her a heavy backpack that was missing a strap. Danoso caught it out of instinct, almost dropping from the weight.

"What the hells in here?" Danoso asked. "Dead body parts?" she laughed. She sigh as she hoisted the only strap on her shoulder.

"Nope, water. Common, sooner we get this done-"

"Sooner we can go on a walk or something. I know Dr. Phil, lets go." Jack nodded and began going down the path to the beach. Danoso followed at a slower pace, letting her mind wander as she absentmindedly stepped over escaped roots and overhung branches.

----------------------

"_The longer you sit there and sulk, the longer it's going to take." _

_Danoso ignored her mother and turned up the volume of the TV. There was no way she was going to move. Not again. Not for the third time this year. They'd moved from New Orleans, to Vancouver, and now they were in posted in Calgary. And she liked it here. True, the only exciting thing about it was the Calgary Tower, which some office buildings matched in height, but she enjoyed the city. For the couple months she'd been living there, life had been okay, she'd even made a couple friends, and her school was a five-minute walk away. No way was she moving. _

"_Do you want me to come over there and help you get started? Because I know you don't want that." Empty threats. Danoso knew this for a fact. The only one who ever touched her in the house was Alison, and even then it wasn't that bad. But sisters fought all the time, and it wasn't a help that Alison was a little crazy. _

_Danoso stared at the old, black and white TV. There was no way she was going to move. Not again. _

"_Danoso, I'm warning you. You don't want to get me cross." _Sure I don't, _Danoso thought. She watched her mom turn off the TV and stand in front of her. _

"_Go start packing." Danoso remained motionless on the couch. Her mom raised her hand. _

"_You wouldn't dare," Danoso growled. She got up and pushed past her mom, leaving her stumbling to gain her balance. Opening the back door, she walked over to the shed and pulled herself up, using the fence. Ryan looked up from his toys wonderingly at her, and Danoso put her finger to her lips and crawled out of sight. Ryan understood. _

"_Where'd she go!" Danoso mom came bursting out the door. Ryan looked up alarmed for a moment, and then shrugged his tiny shoulders, continuing to play in the pitiful sandbox. Danoso watched her mother fume for a moment, before slamming the door and retreating back into the dingy house. Danoso leaned back against the wall of the house. There was no way her mom would find her. But she knew, all she was doing was prolonging the inevitable. She was going to move, whether she liked it or not. Again._

_-----------------------------------------------_

Danoso suddenly came to her senses, only, seconds to late. She bumped into something and landed square on her bum, two-dozen bottles of water poking every which way into her spine. She looked up to see Boone's cool blue eye's staring down at her. Danoso's breath caught in her throat and she tensed up immediately, ready to attack. Remembering Jack's words, she forced hers body to calm down, reminding herself that Boone was not the one that had attacked her.

"I should've been looking where I was going…" Danoso stated, lowering her eyes, stabbing at conversation, not able to get past the fact that Boone looked extremely familiar.

"Well… I should have too, I guess…" Boone regarded her suspiciously, his voice guarded, history not on her side.

"Look-," Danoso hesitated, looking up. "Look, I'm sorry I attacked you, but… I thought you were someone else… Sorry," she said hastily, grabbing the strap and awkwardly they both tried moving forward, running into each other. They both froze and looked at each other.

"Danoso!" Jack's shout could be heard from far ahead. "Common! Where'd you disappear to!"

"I- I gotta go." Boone moved back and allowed Danoso through. "Sorry," she muttered again, and Boone nodded. She ran to catch up with Jack, Boone looking after her.

----------------------------------- 

"Jack, where the bloody hell are you taking me?" Danoso asked, swiping the branches that pelted at her face. For the past two hours Danoso had been hanging around with Charlie, pretty much the only one who believed she wasn't going to stab him, some kind of emergency calling Jack away. As a result, Danoso was started to pick up on his use of the word "bloody".

"Me, I'm trying to look for a part of the plane wreck that we can use. Or, if we can find them, anyone else who survived, and don't know that there are other people alive."

"Do you think… do you think that the pilot's still alive?" Danoso asked quietly.

"Why do you ask?" Jack turned around to look at her.

"Just…cause," Danoso answered, walking past him. Jack started after her, getting a feeling that she wasn't telling him everything she knew.

"Hey, why don't you tell me about yourself? Like, where you came from, who your mom was, who your dad was, you know, that kind of thing?"

"Well," Danoso said, looking at Jack. "The elderly always go first."

"I'm not old!" Jack protested but Danoso only laughed and continued on. They walked for a half hour before Jack began talking, unexpectantly. He hadn't known Danoso for long, but he felt an odd connection to her, one that made him want to share his past with her.

"My dad was a spinal surgeon, like me… he died in Australia. We were never really close, and when I was little; he always told me that I didn't have what it takes to be a doctor, like him, and that I shouldn't try helping people because I didn't have what it took. That's all he ever told me. You can't do this, you can't do that, you're not strong enough for this and that. I went to medical school when I was 19 and there was a rift between us. I moved out and barely spoke to him. Eventually I graduated and started working at the same hospital that my he worked in. Pretty soon I got promoted to spinal surgeon, my dad to chief of surgery… I think he had a drinking problem, because every time I would see him, outside the hospital, he would have a drink in his hand. One day I was working and a nurse ran up to me. She said that there was a girl, Bethel or something, who needed to get an emergency surgery, and my dad got called in from his lunch to perform it. She said she saw his hands shaking. Normally, I would have left my dad alone, but he was operating under the influence. I had to do something…" Danoso slowed down so she could walk in pace with Jack. He seemed in a far off world, a glazed look in his eyes, as if he was narrating a movie going on in his mind to her. Danoso understood when he said that he had to do something. Jack seemed to have an uncontrollable need to help people.

"I went into the operating room, and took over. My dad was indeed operating impaired, and I tried as hard as I could to save the girl. I tried everything, but it just won't work... She ended up dying. I couldn't call it though. It's tough for me when I lose someone; it's hard for me to let go. My dad always seemed to just create this iron wall when something went wrong, it seemed like he was made of steel, nothing ever upset him. He had no emotions. The next day he called me into his office and asked me to sign the forms. I obliged, and a couple days later we had a formal hearing. That's when I learned that the girl was pregnant. I changed my statement, spilling that my dad had been knowingly operating on a pregnant women under the influence of alcohol. He lost his license, he lost his rep., and he lost everything and left. It was the last time I saw him, he never spoke to me again. It was all my fault that he lost his job, and I felt miserable. He made me feel like I betrayed him or something…"

"A couple months later, my mom called and told me that he was in Australia, and I was the only one who could go to fetch him. But I didn't want to go. All I ever wanted to do was make him proud of me, like a father should be, but it never worked. Whatever I did, he was always saying that it wasn't me, and I couldn't help anyone. I'd only end up hurting them more. I went to Australia, and found out that my dad had died in some alley. There was alcohol in his bloodstream…. I thought he hated me, cause I was never like he was. He was never the kind of father I wanted. He never encouraged me; he was always getting on my case. He said that I was soft metal, and he had to make me into steel…" Jack trailed off and stopped talking. Danoso milled over what she had learned about Jack. She realized that everyone had something they kept secret, something that they hid in the deepest, darkest parts of their mind, hoping and wishing that that secret, whatever it is, would never resurface again. But Jack had shared his secret willingly, letting it resurface and take over.

"Then Sawyer tells me, he met a guy in a bar one day. That they got talking and the guy's son was a doctor. The guy said that him and his son had a falling out, and he knew that it was all his fault, and that he was proud of what his son did to him. That it was the right thing. Cept his son thought it was his fault, and thought that his dad hated him. The guy told Sawyer that he wanted to call his son, but he couldn't. He said that the guy wanted to say that he was sorry to his kid, that it was all his fault. That he was a better doctor then the guy would ever be. But he never got around to calling…" Jack wiped away a couple of tears. "And that's my story about my dad."

"Your turn," Jack said cheerfully, shoving the memories of him and his dad back into the darkest part of his brain. He had never told anyone that, and why he had suddenly felt compelled to tell Danoso about it, he didn't know.

Danoso took a while to get started, organizing her thoughts.

"First of all, I never really knew my father. Either he died, doesn't know about me, or doesn't care. The only thing I know is that he's a doctor. My families sort of really screwed up. I have an older sister who's in jail, and a little brother. My sister has a different father then me, and I'm pretty sure that my little brother is her son. Don't ask," Danoso shrugged, seeing Jack raise his eyebrows. "My mom moved us a lot, I personally think she enjoyed making our lives miserable. We lived in Canada for 4 or 5 years, always moving around. My sister got arrested for drug trafficking and some other crap, so my mom left her and took us all to Australia. I thought it was because she wanted to get away from Alison –my sister. She was trouble, I can say that."

"So when we landed in Australia, my mom went to go find a job. I don't know if she ever got it, but she was always out, late into the nights, leaving me to take care of Ryan. He turned 6 the week before I got on the plane. He was the sweetest kid, and I felt like his mom, not his sister. Then one day, my mom comes running into the house, shouting that she had to get Ryan and move, hysterically. Right in front of my eyes, I saw a man walk in; shoot her in the back, and leave. Bastard didn't even look at me; he was laughing the whole time. I ran to my mom, but she was already dead. A note was in her pocket, and I read it. It was addressed to me, from her. She- she was going to take Ryan and leave me to child services, or to fend for myself. It said that there was a man chasing her, and that was why she was leaving. The man was Alison's father, and for some reason, he wanted my mom dead. I got Ryan and ran. Pretty soon I realized that I wouldn't be able to take care of Ryan by myself. He was cute, so I left him at child services with a note, saying that I was his mother and no longer able to take care of him. I still don't know what happened to him…" Danoso trailed off, crying. She hoped that he was all right, and that he was staying with someone nice. She felt guilty for leaving him, guilty for not being able to stay with him.

"I bet he's fine," Jack whispered into her ear. He gave her a comforting hug, and she realized that she had stopped walking. She hugged him back, burying her head in his shirt. He rested his chin on her head, wishing he could do something more then hug her, even though he was surprised he was doing even that. He felt that he had to protect her, and make her world right, make her see that not everything was bad.

"I have to go to the bathroom," Danoso once she had calmed down a little. Jack released her and let her go do her thing. He realized that they all must have secrets that they tried to hide away. He didn't know why he told her about his dad, or why she told him about her family. She came back looking rejuvenated.

"Any idea where we are?" she asked, looking around. They'd been so absorbed in each other's story's they hadn't paid attention to where they were going.

Jack looked around. "Would it be a good idea to say that I don't know?" he asked. They laughed nervously.

"Well, lets go this way," Danoso said, pointing away from the big mountain.

"Sounds good to me," Jack replied, taking up the lead position. They soon left the forest area and went into a big field filled with bright green grass.

"By the way, I've been meaning to ask you, where did you get a name like Danoso?" he asked, letting his hands graze on the waist long grass, walking across the field.

"Um, I think Jamie came up with it. I don't know what it means, and my mom tried to change it to something like Hailey, but I wouldn't answer to it."

"Cool…who's Jamie?"

"Just some guy my mom knew when I was a baby. He was Spanish, I think, and he kept calling me Danoso when I was little, so I kind of grew up with the name. He hung around us a lot, and he always moved with us. Then one day he disappeared… wonder what happened to him," Danoso answered, biting her lip and looking up ahead. "Is that water I hear?" Danoso asked, stopping and straining her ears. Jack stopped and listened. A quiet, continuous splashing sound could be heard, and Jack nodded.

"I think it is," he confirmed. Danoso ran into the forest, Jack right behind her. They came into a small clearing, a tiny waterfall splashing peacefully into the rocks and water below it. The water was clear, and there were different colored fish swimming around in it. Danoso bent down, taking off her shoes and socks. She unbuttoned her jeans and took off her shirt diving headfirst into the water. She popped up at the surface seconds later, laughing.

"Common in Jack, its warm!" She encouraged, treading water, trying to splash Jack.

"Hey!" Jack protested, backing away. She laughed and dived below the surface again. Jack shook his head and took off everything except his boxers. Danoso came back up, and Jack dived in to join her.

Jack treaded water, watching Danoso attempt to touch the bottom of the little pool. Over and over she came up for a breath, only to dive down again. "It doesn't seem to have a bottom," Danoso complained, coming back up for what seemed like the dozenth time. She looked down, frowning.

"Let me try." Jack took a deep breath and started swimming to the bottom of the pool. As hard and fast as he swam, the bottom didn't seem to get any closer. When he felt as though his breath was going to run out, he went back out, breaking the surface surprisingly quick.

"Well?" Danoso asked, stationing herself on a rock that came out of the side.

"It doesn't seem to get any closer…Weird." Jack took another breath and tried again. He could see sand and some coral, but it wasn't getting any closer. He swam harder, determined to get to the bottom. A school of fish swam by him, scattering immediately when he accidentally touched one of the fish's fins. Rapidly beginning to run out of air, Jack gave up and began to climb to the surface. Again he was surprised by how short it took to break through the surface. It was as if he had only gone down a couple feet. "What the hell's going on?" Jack mumbled.

"Does it matter that much Jack?" Danoso asked from her spot on the rock, watching Jack about to dive again.

"I guess not, but what's going on?" he asked frustrated.

"I don't know. This island's weird. I wouldn't bother my head about it too much." Danoso began swimming leisurely laps.

Jack got out of the water and started looking for something on the ground.

"What're you doing?" Danoso asked, somersaulting underneath the surface.

"Looking for a rock," Jack answered absentmindedly, picking up a large rock and hucking it into the pool. He jumped in and watched it sink to the bottom.

"Give up on it Jack," Danoso sigh, and despite herself watched the rock disappear without hitting the bottom.

"What's up with that?" Jack asked, unsatisfied. He stared hard down at the water, Danoso sighing again and got out of the water. Jack noticed after she had put her shirt on that she wasn't beside him.

"Leaving already?" Jack asked, watching her struggle to pull her pants on her wet body.

"Well, you're acting all paranoid, and I would much rather be walking with a normal Jack." She finished pulling on her pants and sat down, pulling on socks and shoes. "You coming with me, or am I going solo?" Danoso asked.

"I'm coming," Jack grumbled, pulling himself out of the little pool, giving it one last analyzing scrunch. He pulled on his cloths while Danoso wrung out her long, wavy hair. The mysterious pool would just have to wait.

But Jack would find out why it had a bottomless bottom, he promised himself that.

----------------------------------------------

"Favorite bedtime story," Danoso asked, her face warmed by the fire as she looked intently at Jack.

"Hm… I'd have to say… the Velveteen Rabbit." Danoso laughed.

"Yours?" Jack asked unfazed.

"Um… Repunzel. Hey, don't laugh, it's a classic!" Danoso protested, as Jack echoed her laugh.

"Okay, um, favorite TV show." Jack looked at Danoso who stared into the fire, thinking hard. Once they left the little pool, they made a fire and decided to sleep in the forest that night. Danoso was worried that the others would be worried about Jack's absence, but Jack reassured her that they would be fine.

"I'm gonna have to go with Friends on this one."

"You like Friends?" Jack asked, not too surprised. Nearly everyone loved Friends.

"Yep." Danoso answered, throwing a small stick into the fire. "You?" She asked.

"I'd have to say House." Jack admitted.

"So your into the doctor shows, eh?" Danoso laughed. They lapsed into silence, the comforting crackling of the fire entrancing them both. Danoso yawned hugely at the same time that Jack did. They both laughed.

"Guess we're pretty tired, eh?" Jack yawned again. Danoso laughed. "Think we have to have a night watcher?" Jack asked.

"Nah, I'll scream if something happens to me," Danoso laughed. Using her bag as a pillow, Danoso curled up facing Jack. Jack did the same, shutting his eyes at once.

"Night Jack," Danoso whispered softly.

"Night Danoso," Jack whispered even softer, immediately falling asleep. Danoso looked at him for a second, wondering if her dad had stuck around, would she be here on the island with Jack and the others. What would her dad be like? Like Jack's dad, mean and coldhearted? Or would he be like Jack, always helping people, always trying to do the right thing? Danoso shut her eyes; wondering how different life would be if she had a normal family.

------------------------------------

He watched them silently from His position high up in a tree. This was perfect. The escapee had forged a bond with the doctor of the others, and that would work well in their favor. The escapee could not have popped up at a better location. And what was more alleviating was that they had found the pool, and thought nothing of it. He watched as morning rose and the doctor woke up the escapee. An hour later, they ventured off into, the forest, none the wiser as to their onlooker.

Everything was working out as planed, the girl escaping providing more satisfying and helpful then disastrous. And He knew the perfect way to get her back, along with some additions.

TBC…

** -LOST-**

** Cohen101**


	5. 5 Emo

**Disclaimers: STILL don't own Lost… But I do own my very own horse… Even if it is plastic… Oh yeah, don't own Gilligan's Island either : P **

**Sorry it took so long to update, but my TA Completely freaked out because I'm behind two units, so hopefully he won't have a heart attack. Also, it took me a while to find a song that Charlie could sing… **

**Thanks to _itsonlyme_ and _baudelair7 _for reviewing. As always, please review…  Tell me if you want me to keep writing **

**5.5 Emotions**

24 turns, 12 scrapes, 6 bruises, 3 cuts, 1 sprain, and 4 hours later, Danoso and Jack were still hopelessly lost in the dense jungle.

"I told you that you were going the wrong way!" Danoso complained, slamming into a tree due to an unseen root.

"We're going the right way, alright? All we have to do is go straight until we find the ocean, then follow it to the beach camp. Simple."

"If it's that simple, why aren't we there yet?" Danoso asked, watching Jack scale a small rock wall. Looking curiously alike to Spiderman, he went up and over, not looking back to see if Danoso was following him. "Showoff," she muttered, looking to find a handhold that she could reach. She was a lot shorter then Jack, the top of her head reaching to the middle of his chest.

"Damit," Danoso muttered, jumping up to try and reach the handhold Jack had used. She looked around, wondering what she could use. The only things around her were trees, dirt, and tiny rocks embedded in the dirt. Nothing that could help much…

"JACK!" Danoso shouted, looking up, hoping to spot Jack. But the doctor was nowhere to be seen, and Danoso began to get a forbidding feeling in her chest. "JACK!" Danoso shouted once more, beginning to panic. He wouldn't have left her so far behind that he couldn't hear her, but he wasn't responding to her shouts. She jumped again, cursing her shortness for the first time in her life. "Jack!" she said hopelessly. She took in her surrounding again. She looked at the trees, which leaned over the cliff wall she was struggling to climb. She scanned the ground she was standing on, looking for a rock she could use as a foot ladder when she realized what she'd missed.

'Perfect,' Danoso thought, running towards a tree, jumping up, grabbing hold of one of the lower branches. Danoso would be able to climb the tree, and then jump from one of the top branches to the top of the wall. She quickly ascended the tree, skillfully moving from one branch to another, steadily getting higher.

"JACK?" she shouted, stopping. She heard nothing, and doubled her pace. Her heart was thumping, threatening to jump out of her mouth. She heard a crack and realized she could go no further up the tree without snapping the rapidly thinning branches.

"JACK?" she yelled again, looking at the distance between the tree and the plateau. It looked to her a little over a meter and a half. She could make that, couldn't she? Anxiety built up in her throat, and she contemplated sticking her finger in her mouth just to get rid of the nauseas feeling. "J-JACK!" Danoso yelled, now pleading more then asking. No body answered and nothing moved.

Danoso looked at the cliff. She could make it, easy. Taking a deep breath, she found that she was trembling. Shaking her head, she held her breath, and jumped.

Time stopped. She wasn't going to make it. Sweat began trickling down her face and she stretched forward as much as she could. Her fingers touched air, and she was going down. Clawing at the cliff wall, it didn't seem to get any closer. Giving one last stretch, her fingers closed in on the rock. Her body slammed into the rock, sending a shockwave throughout her entire body. She winced, slightly wondering if she was still alive. She'd made it.

But now she couldn't get up.

The jump had left her exhausted, and she struggled to pull herself up, knowing it was futile. All she could do was hold on, waiting until her muscles became overcome with fatigue.

"Jack!" she half-shouted once more, a little glimmer of hope refusing to be put out. She felt her fingers begin to slide from sweat, and clamped her eyes shut, not believing she could die this way. Her muscles begged for a release, and Danoso gladly gave it to them. Letting go of the ledge, she felt herself falling, when strong hands grabbed her wrists, pulling her up like a doll.

"Where the hell did you think you were going?" Jack asked, holding her close to him. He gently placed Danoso on her feet, surprised to feel Danoso holding on tightly to him. "Hey, what's wrong?" he asked.

Danoso looked him in the eye, relived. She hugged him tight. "You're a asshole, you know that," she suddenly stated, glaring, letting him go and marching towards where they thought was the ocean.

Jack stood there speechless. What the hell had just happened?

'Girls,' he thought, 'are very, very odd…'

-------------------------------------

"Danoso, do you know where your going?" Jack asked, jumping over a rock, rubbing his eyes.

"Yeah," Danoso said, whirling around, walking backwards. "I know exactly where I'm go-" There was a soft whoosh, and Jack opened his eyes. Danoso was nowhere to be seen.

"Danoso?" He looked around questioningly.

"Jack, damnit, help me up!"

Jack looked around to find the source of the voice.

"Look to thee Earth and thee shall find me." Danoso's sarcastic voice floated up from the ground impatiently. Jack stepped forward and saw that Danoso had fallen into a deep hole, which was surrounded by bushes and tall grass.

"How'd you get down there?" Jack asked, looking around for something to pull her up with.

"I flew." Jack looked at her. "What do you think you tard?" Danoso answered, trying to jump up and grab the rim, but she was short by at least a meter.

"Here," Jack said, laying on his stomach and stretching his arms into the hole. Danoso grabbed firmly onto them and Jack pulled her up almost effortlessly. Danoso once again cursed her shortness for the second time that day.

"Thanks," Danoso sighed. "I have no idea how that got there, and I would have never been able to pull myself… What?" Jack was looking at something on the ground. He repeatedly glanced at Danoso and then back down.

"This is you, isn't it?" Jack said, picking up an object and handing it to Danoso.

Danoso took it with slightly shaking hands. It was a crumpled picture, slightly faded. On it was a younger boy, a girl, and a reddish, female Siberian husky. Danoso smoothed it out and stared. A 4-year-old Ryan was on the ground with the red dog, who was on her back, legs in the air, grinning happily. Danoso was in the corner, spraying them both with water, Ryan's dirty blonde hair already plastered to his face. The two of them were both smiling, not looking at the camera.

"Here's another one." Jack gave her another photo; this one a little less rumpled, and looked over her shoulder to look.

"What the…" Danoso muttered, the second picture one of her and Ryan sleeping together on a couch. Her arm was protectively laid over him, and they were both facing the camera.

"It looks like it was shot through a window," Jack stated, examining the picture. There were white bars on the sides of the photo, and it looked like it was shot through an extremely dirty pane of glass. "This your brother?" Jack asked, pointing to the boy.

"Yeah, but I don't remember taking these pictures… I mean, I remember what I doing in them, but I didn't know someone took a picture of…" Danoso froze, lowering the pictures and looking around.

"What?" Jack asked, sensing a change in Danoso.

"We have to get out of here. Fast." Danoso bolted away from the clearing, running as fast as she could.

Jack stood there, stunned. For the second time that day, he reflected on how odd girls were.

"Danoso, wait!" Jack shouted, finally beginning to run after her. She was rapidly disappearing out of sight, as Jack tried valiantly to catch up. Then he saw Danoso vanish. He ran harder, and came upon a small rock cliff like the one that they had previously climbed. Looking around, he noticed that they were on a sort of mountain, and he could see the beach, littered with the tiny colored roofs of the survivor's shelters.

"Danoso?" Jack yelled into the forest below.

"Jack, common, hurry!" He could barely hear her voice. Cursing himself slightly for not being quicker to chase, Jack climbed down the wall, letting himself fall the last couple feet.

"Danoso, where are you?" he yelled again.

"Common!" Jack heard Danoso shout.

"I would come, but I don't know where you are!" Jack muttered under his breath, reluctantly taking off in the direction of Danoso's voice.

--------------------------------------------

"Mind telling me what happened back there?" Jack asked, panting heavily, his muscles all-sore. He'd been chasing Danoso for the last hour, surprised that his body held up. He'd felt like he was seven again, playing Marco Polo in the pool with his eye's closed. Every once in a while he would yell for her, and she would faintly yell back, apparently not waiting for him to catch up. But now she was sitting on a rock, looking at the picture of her and her brother sleeping on the couch.

"Danoso?" Jack asked. She hadn't looked up at him the whole time he'd been there. "Danoso, what happened back there? Why'd we run?"

Danoso looked up at him, then down at the crumpled photo. "See here?" she asked, pointing to a figure that blended so well into the background that Jack wouldn't have noticed unless pointed out. "That's Gamboz. He was the pilot of Oceanic Flight 815."

"But that's the flight me and the others were on," Jack said, not really understanding.

"Yeah, and so was I, and so was the pilot, Gamboz. I think this picture was taken the day before I dropped Ryan off at Child Services, two days before the flight took off. In this picture, we were at Gamboz's house." Danoso continued to look at the photograph.

"Wait a second, you were on the plane too?" Jack had always assumed she'd gotten on the island some other way, because she wasn't in the plane manifest, and she came out of the forest the day she attacked Boone.

"Yeah. Gamboz got me on. He snuck me on actually, which is probably why I wasn't on the manifest. He was an old family friend, and when I told him that I wanted to go to America, he agreed. I still don't know why he let me go with him, but that's why I didn't crash in the same area as you guys. I was sitting up front with him."

"Wait, wait, wait." Jack said, still not comprehending. "When we first got here, Kate, Charlie and me were looking for the black box, and found the pilot. He was still strapped into his seat, and he was still alive. He was talking, and breathing and all…"

Danoso looked up hopefully at Jack. "And?" she asked eagerly.

"He died, a little while after we found him." Jack decided to keep the monster and the pilots gruesome death out of the details.

"So he was still alive when I left him…" Danoso trailed away, blinking repeatedly, looking back down at the photograph.

Jack still didn't understand something. "Where were you all this time? You weren't with the pilot, cause he's dead, there are no other survivors, and you weren't with us. Where'd you go? How'd you live?" Jack asked, looking curiously at Danoso.

"That's the thing. I remember the plane crashing, I remember getting out of the seat, and I remember wandering around for a while… and just now I remembered falling into that hole. And I remember a guy that looks like your friend Boone. That's all I remember…"

"But you said before that Boone hurt you. What did that other guy do to you?"

Danoso remained silent.

"Common Danoso, I can keep a secret." Jack bent down so he was at her height.

"Not one you have to keep from yourself."

Jack was taken aback. What did that mean?

"Common, we'd better get back. I saw the beach over that way before I jumped down the cliff," Danoso said, pointing in the direction of the beach.

"Sure," Jack said, still pondering the meaning of Danoso's statement. Why wouldn't she want him to know?

Jack moved automatically after Danoso, not really looking at the path. Of course you couldn't keep a secret from yourself. At times, he wished he could, but it was impossible. Whatever happened, Danoso didn't want him to know about it, and Jack wanted to know why. What had happened to Danoso when she was out in the forest alone?

Night slowly fell, and they eventually made their way to the beach, and then up the path stopping when they found Kate climbing a tree.

"Wait a second," Jack told Danoso, and Danoso impatiently stopped, folding her arms disapprovingly.

"Kate!" Jack shouted up to the tree, guessing Kate's location.

"Jack?" Kate's voice came, and she shot down the tree excitedly. Danoso was impressed. And she thought that Jack looked like Spiderman when he had climbed the cliff. Kate was in a whole other superhero world with her apparently uber climbing skills.

"Hey," Jack said softly, half smiling. Kate ran to him and hugged him tightly. Jack hugged her back without a second's hesitation. They broke up almost instantly, both embarrassed. Danoso shook her head. They were so awkward.

"We didn't know where you went. Locke and me were going to go out looking for you tomorrow if you hadn't come back by then. What happened?" Kate asked, busying herself with her knapsack, which had miraculously not fallen off during her decent.

"Um… I kind of got lost," Jack admitted, scratching his head embarrassingly.

"I was worried about you Jack," Kate said softly.

Jack nervously laughed. "Sorry… guess I shouldn't become a navigator any time soon."

Danoso shook her head. What a dork. She pricked up her ears. Was that a guitar she was hearing? Glancing at Jack and Kate, who were engrossed in each other, she slightly shifted away. They didn't notice. Shuffling her way to the soft music, Danoso begun to pick up the words the player was softly singing.

Danoso came closer, recognizing Charlie playing by himself near a lone fire. She stayed behind a tree and listened silently. He was singing softly, thrumming gently on his guitar.

"Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale,

A tale of a faithful trip.

That started from this tropic port,

Aboard this tiny ship."

The song was familiar, but Danoso couldn't figure out where she'd heard it before.

"The mate was a mighty sailin' man,

The skipper brave and sure.

Five passengers set sail that day,

For a three hour tour, for a three hour tour…"

As Charlie stopped playing and childishly intimidated a thunderclap, Danoso suddenly figured where she'd heard the song before.

"The weather started getting rough,

The tiny ship was tossed.

If not for the courage of the fearless crew,

The Minnow would be lost; the Minnow would be lost…

The ship set ground on the shore of this uncharted desert isle,

With Gilligan, the Skipper too,

The Millionaire, and his Wife,

The Movie Star, the Professor and Mary Ann,

Here on Gilligan's Isle."

Charlie was singing the theme song of Gilligan's Island. Danoso smiled as she remembered watching the show with her sister, back before her mom had sold the vintage box set for 50 dollars.

"So this is a tale of our castaways,

They're here for a long long time.

They'll have to make the best of things,

It's and uphill climb.

The first mate and his skipper too,

Will do their very best,

To make the others comfortable,

In the tropic island nest.

No phone, no lights, no motor cars," Danoso began to sing along, quietly, so that Charlie wouldn't hear her.

"Not a single luxury.

Like Robinson Crusoe,

It's primitive as can be.

So join us here each week my friend,

You're sure to get a smile.

From seven stranded castaways,

Here on Gilligan's Isle…

I know we were in a plane, not a boat, and there are 47 people, not seven, but it reminds me a lot of us, you know? I loved watching Gilligan's Island as a kid," Charlie said, slapping the strings to make it silent. Danoso stood still, wondering if he was talking to her, or just out of his mind.

"Hey love, come over here. I heard you singing," Charlie said, smiling, but not turning around, resuming the chords.

Danoso hesitated, and then timidly came out from her hiding place. She sat down on the ground next to him. "You're really good," she blurted out.

"I know," Charlie said, laughing. "I have to be, I'm in a band, Driveshaft." Charlie switched songs and started lightly singing.

"You, all, everybody,

You, all, everybody,

You… all… everybody…" he faded away and stared into the forest, caught it in the past.

Danoso stared into the fire, thinking of her own past. "Do you know how to play anything?" Charlie suddenly asked, removing the guitar strap from his shoulder.

"Oh…" Danoso thought about it. Her sister had an acoustic guitar when they lived back in Canada. "Not really…" Which was partly true. The only thing she knew how to play was a song from Tetris.

Charlie laughed. "Well, you've got to know something. Here, try," he said, handing her the guitar and a pick made out of wood. Danoso held it awkwardly in her hands, and used the pick, running it lightly across the strings.

"There yea go," Charlie congratulated, encouraging her.

"I don't know, I don't know anything… here," she said, handing the guitar and the pick back.

"That's alright," Charlie said, taking it back, looking a bit disappointed. "Can you sing anything?" he asked.

"Not really, I don't like singing, and I suck at it too."

"I bet your not that bad, what songs do you know?" he asked.

"None… But I love it when you play!" Danoso added quickly, watching Charlie's eye fill with disappointment.

"Not really the band type person, are you?" he sigh.

"Not particularly…"

"Oh well, to each his own, right?" Danoso was about to agree when she heard Jack shout out her name.

"DANOSO!" Both Charlie and Danoso jumped. Jack appeared out of nowhere, Kate trailing close behind him. "There you are, common, let's go," Jack said impatiently. "Hey Charlie," he added, and Charlie half saluted him with his pick.

"Bye Charlie," Danoso said, getting up and brushing off her worn jeans. She walked past Charlie, patting his head as she passed.

"Bye," he smiled and started up another familiar tune.

------------------------------ - ----------------------

"Jack?" A voice floated into Danoso's dreams, and she irritably tried to block it out.

"Hey, Jack, Michael needs you," the voice came again. There was light coming through the thin blanket she was covered with, and she felt a slight movement against her back.

"My name's not Jack," she said grumpily.

----------------

"But mine is," Jack said, laughing. "Don't mind her." Danoso definitely was not a morning person.

"Oh, I see her now." Kate noticed the big bulge beside Jack, under the blanket, and she was surprised she hadn't noticed it before.

"What does who need now?" Jack asked Kate, standing up and stretching.

"Michael needs you. I think he's trying to put up some shower things or something… I don't know. He just told me to come and get you." Kate watched as a tousle haired Danoso emerged from underneath the blanket, yawning hugely. Jack left the cave to go wash the sleep off his face.

"Good sleep?" Kate asked.

"Peachy, thanks," Danoso replied, rubbing her eye's furiously. Kate laughed and Jack walked back in.

"Alright, I'm ready," he announced, his face still half wet.

"So am I, unfortunately." Kate laughed again and Danoso looked at her funny.

Jack and Kate left the cave and Danoso sluggishly followed, sleep still in her system. Damn waking up early, no one on this island knows how to sleep in. Especially Jack, she thought dryly.

"You keeping up okay kiddo?" Jack asked, looking back to see Danoso far behind them.

"I'm keeping up fine." And now they want me to walk faster. She watched as Jack and Kate began talking, both of them laughing at each other's lame jokes. Jack was constantly looking at Kate, and Danoso was surprised he hadn't tripped yet. Their arms brushed against each other so many times Danoso wished they would just go ahead and hold each other's hands. Why was it adults were so stupid when it came to relationships? Danoso looked at the ground, slowing down more to give them room.

----------------------------------------------

"Hey, Trouble!" Sawyer shouted at Danoso's back. She didn't turn around. The kid looked bored, watching Jack and a couple other put up some weird chamber things, standing back a distance to escape Michaels constant glare.

"Trouble, come 'ere for a sec!" he tried again. She again didn't acknowledge his call. Time to bring out the big guns.

"JACKASS!" Sawyer bellowed. This time, both Danoso and Jack turned to look at him. Jack, as though just realizing he was responding to the name Jackass, turned around instantly, returning to his work with Michael.

"Come 'ere Trouble," Sawyer said, looking straight at Danoso. Danoso looked around and then pointed at herself. Sawyer nodded, and Danoso came towards him, taking a seat next to him, leaning against a palm tree.

"Dansos," she said, picking out grass and making a pile.

"Say what now T?"

"My name, its Danoso, not Trouble, or T." She looked at him curiously. "People said you had problems remembering names."

"Aww, I know that's not your name cupcake…" Sawyer wondered who told her that. "You think Jackass is Jack's real name?" he asked.

"Nope."

"And you think Freckles is Kate's?"

"Nope."

"See, I remember, I just like adding my own personal touch, ya know?"

"So then what's your real name?" Danoso asked, looking into Sawyers eyes.

"Ya don't think my real names Sawyer?" he asked, taken aback.

"You just said that you like adding personal touch. I doubt your names Sawyer. Besides, who'd be crazy enough to name their kid Sawyer?"

"Who'd be crazy enough to name their kid Danoso?" Sawyer countered.

Danoso laughed.

"So… what do you think about Jackass over there?" Sawyer nodded towards Jack, who as lifting up the big steel-ish pot shaped thing.

"Jack?" Danoso said thoughtfully. "Well, he's the coolest adult I've ever met." She paused for a moment. "Closest thing to a dad I've ever met too." She added as an afterthought.

"Never had a daddy did ya?" Sawyer asked, thinking about his own dad.

"Nope, never had one. Only a mom, crack-ass sister, and an extremely non-talkative brother. But that's it…" she trailed off, looking at Jack.

"My daddy killed himself when I was eight. Killed my mom and himself right on top of me. I was hiding under my bed when he did it. Still remember the sounds…" Sawyer trailed off then looked alarmingly at Danoso. Now why the hell did I go and say that for?

"I can keep a secret," Danoso whispered, picking at the grass again. So Jack's and Sawyers dad's were both let downs.

"You're better off without a dad," Sawyer said.

Danoso thought for a moment. "Not if they were like you, or Jack, or Charlie."

Where the hell did she get him being a dad from! He thought. This kid was weird. Sure, Jack maybe, she'd hung around him ever since she joined them. But me? A dad?

"I don't think I'm daddy material. I only care about myself." Sawyer said deadpan.

"I think you are. You do care about other people. If you didn't, why do you get everyone to call you Sawyer? What's the reason behind that if you don't care about other people, or what they do to you?"

Damn this kid, Sawyer thought. This conversations getting to damn personal. He took out one of his last cigarettes and lit it up.

Danoso eyed it hungry. "Bum me one?" she asked.

Sawyer looked surprised. What the hell was Jack teaching this kid? "Why?" he asked suspiciously.

"Cause, I haven't had one since before the plane crashed." She looked dead serious.

"How old are you?" Sawyer asked.

Danoso didn't answer. She glared at him.

"Danoso!"

"One second!" Danoso yelled, recognizing Jack's voice.

"Fine, fine, but don't tell Doc over there that I'm the one who gave it to you. And make sure you actually use it. If you won't give it to me, I'll be only happy. Oh yeh, it's the last one on the island, so take your time." Danoso grinned as Sawyer handed her the little white stick.

-----------------------------------

Jack looked around for Danoso. He was tired and wanted to go back to the caves to take a nap. They were almost done installing the "shower" system, and Jack doubt that it would really work.

"Danoso!" he called out, beginning to panic. The kid was always disappearing; he needed to get a tracking device for her. He vaguely wondered whether or not Sawyer had one stashed away somewhere.

"One second!" he heard Danoso shout back and looked over to see her sitting by Sawyer. Sawyer passed her something, and looked meaningfully at him. Danoso nodded then paused a second. She gave Sawyer a quick hug, and started to run towards Jack. Sawyer seemed shocked and embarrassed by the gesture.

"What was that all about?" Jack quizzed Danoso

"Nothing. Sawyer gave me a present."

"Sawyer gave you a present? Sawyer never gives presents." Jack said, surprised.

"Well, then I guess Mr. Sawyer just likes me." Danoso grinned and ran up ahead of Jack, catching up to Kate, who always seemed to be around them.

"Does Mr. Sawyer give you presents Kate?" she asked, much to the irritation of Jack.

"Um… no? I doubt he would give me anything without a "kiss" first though," she added.

"Have you ever kissed him then?" Jack glared at her back.

"Um… yeah? But then I kind elbowed him in the face, so it didn't really mean anything." Kate looked back at Jack for help.

"Danoso, leave Kate alone, alright?" Jack said, giving Kate an apologetic look. Danoso grinned and picked up a stick. Whacking trees happily, she watched Jack and Kate, awkward as ever, walk together down the path.

--------------------------------------

"Danoso, come here for a second," Jack requested. Danoso looked up from her spot on the ground where she was watching Charlie play his guitar, something she was doing more and more often.

"Be right back Charlie," she said, Charlie nodding and continuing to hum while he played.

"What is it?" Danoso asked when she got close enough to Jack.

"Look, I know you might think this is a little weird, but make sure, for tonight at least, that I can see you at all times, okay?" Jack looked at her.

"Alright, paranoid much?" Danoso laughed nervously.

"I've just got a feeling, okay? Just do it. Humor me."

"Okay… but, can I go listen to Charlie? Or is that too far away?" she looked at Charlie who was still playing softly a couple steps away.

Jack scowled. "Just do it okay? Promise."

"Fine, I promise, can I go now?" Danoso asked, irritated. Jack nodded, and she sat back by Charlie, who smiled and kept playing. Jack didn't care if he was being paranoid. He had a bad feeling.

---------------------------------------

Danoso struck the match on a rock, and lit the cigarette that Sawyer had previously given her. The last one on the island.

She sat on the top of a cave, looking out into the ocean, watching night fall. She sat her legs up against her chest, sucking on her revitalizing smoke. She watched the rhythmic waves, splashing in and out, getting lost in the tranquility of the moment. She was in sight of the camp, or rather, she could see the camp, and so she was not technically breaking her promise to Jack.

She drew in another breath of nicotine, when a guest joined in her sea gazing.

"Those things will kill you," he said disapprovingly, slightly panting from the climb, nodding toward the cigarette.

Danoso turned and puffed a cloud of smoke into Jacks face. "A car crash will kill you," she said, while Jack coughed; "yet you still drive. A plane crash will kill you, yet you still fly. STD's will kill you, yet you still have sex…" she looked Jack over meaningfully.

"At least I think you do," she said, her voice teasing him.

"Har har har," Jack replied, taking a deep breath, trying to cycle the smoke out of his lungs. "Honestly though, I think you should cut smoking out. Its not good for you."

"Honestly, Jack," she paused, blowing out more smoke at him. "Up yours." Danoso fell into the grass and looking up into the sky, watching the stars. "This is my last one, so please, just spare me."

"Fine." Jack thought for a moment and was surprised to find he was slightly shivering. "At least come down with me. Its kind of chilly up here."

"Yeah, and have everyone glaring at me and watching over me like I'm gonna stab someone?" Danoso laughed, sitting up. "I'd rather take my chances with the cold." She was exaggerating a little, but she wanted to stay out where she could watch the waves and the stars.

"Whatever suits you. Just, don't go anywhere without me, all right? Stay up here, I don't want you getting hurt. I'll come up in the morning to see you, okay?" Danoso nodded, and then resumed watching the ocean waves.

Jack hesitated. He took off his shirt and put it over Danoso's shoulders. "Have fun with your death stick… night." He turned and began climbing down the short hill.

"Death stick my ass," Danoso mumbled, pulling Jack's shirt tighter around her. She looked at the half finished smoke thoughtfully, watching it burn. "Night Jack," she grumbled to herself, stubbing the smoke out in the grass. She curled up into a ball and shut her eyes, waiting for sleep to take over.

--------------------------------------

"Danoso! Danoso wake up!" Kate shouted shaking Danoso's balled up figure. Danoso shut her eyes tighter and pulled Jack's shirt tighter around herself. Kate unscrewed the cap on the plastic water bottle she'd brought along with her. She knew how hard it was to get Danoso to wake up, and she was prepared.

"Danoso!" Kate screeched in her ear. Now was not the time to sleep. She ripped of the shirt and poured the bottle of cold water on Danoso's face.

"WHAT!" Danoso shouted, bolting upright, hair plastered to her face. "What the hell is so goddamn important!" she yelled at Kate.

"It's Jake. He's missing."

**TBC…**

**-LOST-**

**Cohen101**


	6. 6 Unexpected Ally

**Thanks to **

_**Baudelaire7 – Thanks for always reviewing, you dunno how happy it makes me :D**_

_**TotallyLost – Yay. Thanks for reviewing!**_

_**Laurenmlbc – Hm… How I came up with the name Danoso. Hm… I think I typed in something into one of those Translator thingies, and I think I got Danoso with the little thingy on the N. Or maybe not… Well, is that a good name? Hopefully…**_

**Disclaimer: I don't own LOST, or any of the characters associated with it…**

**The adventures of Danoso and the gang are my original ideas. Yay. Does anyone know what that song was, that was playing? Dun really want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen it, but anyone who's seen it should know which one… Enjoy!**

**And all those ? were supposed to be smiley faces, lol. **

**6.6 Unexpected Ally**

"What the fuc-" Kate elbowed Danoso in the side disapprovingly. Danoso looked at Kate angrily. "What! I'm not a fricken child! Do I really look that young!"

"Well, you shouldn't be swearing anyways, it's a bad habit."

"Oh, shove it. Where did you say Jack is?" Danoso took off her shirt and put on the one that Jack had left her.

"Like I said, he's missing. No one knows where he went."

Danoso started walking down the slope, away from her relaxing retreat. "He couldn't have just disappeared," she persisted. "It's impossible."

"I'm telling you, he's not here."

"Are you just pulling my leg? Cause if Jack really is missing, I'm going out there to find him. And if I get hurt, it's going to be all on your shoulders. So tell me. Is Jack really missing?"

Kate scanned Danoso's eyes quickly. She was dead serious. Maybe she wasn't the best first person to tell after all. "Promise me you won't do anything stupid." It came out of nowhere, but Kate remembered when, what seemed like ages ago, Jack had asked her to take care of the girl.

"I'm not a little kid Kate, and if Jack really is missing, then I'll be the one to find him." Danoso still looked dubious about whether or not Jack was missing, but Kate could see she was serious. She was going to find Jack, even if it meant hurting herself.

"Don't do anything rash-"

"Kate, how do you get off telling me not to do anything rash? When have you ever been, not rash?" Danoso asked, storming through the camp.

"Look, I'm not saying that I'm not rash, or that I am, but I just don't wan-"

"You just want to do what you promised Jack you'd do right? Well, I'm letting you off the hook."

Kate stopped for a moment.

"How do you know about that?" she demanded.

"Oh, bugger off." Danoso was on a rage role and she wasn't about to stop. "Its not that hard to follow two people into a forest."

"You followed us?" Kate asked, hurt.

"Yes, I did. Happy?"

Kate swallowed hard. "How long were you following us for?" she asked in a timid voice.

"I left when Jack said that both of you should go give the flowers to Sun, who, by the way I haven't met…. Where the HELL IS HE!" If Danoso wasn't tearing the cave apart in fury, she would have noticed that Kate appeared to be relived.

Kate watched Danoso ripping apart the cave in search of Jack, who was apparently now the size of a pin. She threw clothes on the ground, looking through and shaking each one. "What are you doing?" Kate asked, automatically catching a t-shirt that flew at her face.

Suddenly everything froze.

Danoso stopped breathing. Fear struck at her heart, her fingers trembling. She remembered. She was holding in her hands the thin piece of string that Jack wore around his neck, the one that kept the key to the silver case secure. But it wasn't the string that was so interesting, nor the absent key; it was what was attached to it. The string was threaded through a multi-colored ring, a cheap mood changing one with dolphins around it. It was that, the ring, that made Danoso remember. It was the ring that Ryan had bought for her, or rather stole, a week before the plan had crashed on the forsaken island. A ring, until now, that Danoso had though lost.

Danoso suddenly remember, being carried through the forest, by men unknown, to a secret place, where the forest met the mountain snow in an unnatural alignment. She remembered caves and injections, bamboo prisons. She remembered tests of survival and cunning, where it was pass or die. She remembered being stripped of the ring, and finally, she remembered running away. The memories came in snippets, more fuzzy unknown moments then anything. But most of all, she remembered the path back.

Kate had been watching Danoso wearily. It seemed like she'd stopped breathing, staring at the _thing_ in her fingers. Kate stepped forward and Danoso seemed to snap out of her trance at the movement.

"I know where he is," she whispered, fumbling with the _thing_ for a moment, and then raising it to her neck. Kate noticed almost immediately that it was the string that Jack kept around his neck. She gasped slightly.

"But that's Jacks," she said stupidly.

"Yeah, and because of it, I know where he is… and I know that he's going to be okay, for now." Danoso finished tying the string around her neck, the beat up ring swaying slightly. She knew that whoever left the string and her ring here, wanted her to come after them. Whether it was a trap or not, she didn't know, but she was confident that they wouldn't hurt him.

"Okay, so, what are you gonna do now?" Kate asked cautiously. She didn't want her going off and hurting herself, even if she knew were Jack was. They needed to get more people if they were going to run off into the jungle, going in alone would be suicide.

"I'm going to go get him," Danoso moved around the cave confidently, stepping over the clothes that littered the floor. She took a bag and filled it up with a couple bottles of water and some rags.

"No, you're not, I won't let you," Kate said, hoping she sounded like she meant it. Danoso looked up at her surprised. Frankly, Kate was surprised as well. She was becoming all-protective, and she didn't know why. "I'm not letting you go. You're going to get hurt, or worse. We don't know what's out there, and you're my responsibility until Jack gets back. With every single bit of authority I have, your not going, not alone at least."

"Kate, I'm gonna go whether you like it or not. I have to go find him. I'm the only one who knows where he is. The longer I wait, the more likely it'll be that something'll happen."

"Look, I know you want to go get him, but how do you know where he is?" Kate was lost. Danoso claimed that she knew where Jack was, but all she had was a string and some really cheap ring. Kate knew a lot about tracking, but there was no way she could track Jack with only a string and ring.

Danoso was annoyed. "See this ring? The people who took it from me have Jack. They have Jack, because they had both the ring, and the string. That's how I know where he is. Nothing's going to happen to him, because the only reason they're keeping him is to get to me. I've got to go before they change their minds."

Danoso moved to walk out of the cave, but Kate blocked the entrance.

"Move!" Danoso ordered furiously.

"No." Kate stood in front of the exit, wondering if she could take Danoso if it came to a fight. She was a lot smaller then Kate, so that was one advantage.

"Kate, I don't know why you care this much about me. Just let me go, just move!" Danoso looked at Kate.

"Let me do it my way." Danoso shook her head angrily, but stopped trying to get around Kate. She listened, eyes to the ground. "First, lets get some people together, and then go find him. I'm going to come with you, and anyone else you want to go."

"Fine," Danoso answered robotically, all the anger and stubbornness gone from her voice.

"Second," Kate continued, slightly thrown off, "you have to calm down, and before we leave, your going to eat. You haven't eaten since before yesterday night."

"Sure," Danoso answered again, in the same bored tone.

"Third, you have to do whatever I say. I say run, you run, I say hide you hide. I want you to listen to me." Kate thought she saw a bit of a stir, but it only lasted for a second at most.

"Fine." Danoso said, shrugging it off.

"Okay, go find someone you want to bring, and I'll get some food." Danoso nodded meekly and shouldered her pack, walking past Kate. Kate looked strangely after her. It had been to easy, and there was definitely something up.

------------------------------------

Jack awoke and all he saw darkness.

His head pounded, his muscles ached, and his back was stiff, probably from lying on a cold, hard surface. It took a moment for him to realize that his eyes were shut, and he blinked them open, trying to get them to focus. He moved to rub them, but found that his hands were stuck together. Something went off in his brain, a siren beginning to sound.

He moved his feet, but found that they were as well stuck together. He opened his mouth to yell for help, but found that there was a piece of cloth tied round it, rendering him unable to speak. Wondering what the hell had happened, Jack waited until his eyes got used to the dim glow provided by the single torch flaring in a distant corner. _Where the hell am I?_

Slowly, the eerie outlines of bars became noticeable, the gloomy light illuminating the rough walls of the mid-sized cave. Jack lay in a box made up of what seemed to be bamboo. There was bamboo on all sides and over top, shutting him in like a trapped monkey. A childhood fear threatened to return, the experience worsened by the unavailability of moveable limbs.

Jack rolled over onto his side and awkwardly inched his way over to an interior part of the bamboo cage. He pushed against it with his head, but it didn't budge. It seemed to be suck inside the earth too deep, unwilling to come out. With his hands and feet tied, he had no chance of getting out. So all that was left to do was wait until his captor came back to retrieve him.

---------------------------------------

Danoso clung to the top of the tree, hoping that she was fully obscured by the leaves of the tree. She knew Kate would get mad, and she'd seen what she thought was Kate mad, but right now, Kate was full out pissed. Danoso decided to just flow with whatever she said, and go solo once Kate left her on her own. Which is what she did. Only, Kate had caught on earlier then Danoso though, and now she had an expert tracker on her. _Maybe she not that pissed off,_ Danoso hoped.

"DANOSO IF YOU DON"T GET BACK HERE THIS SECOND, I"LL PERSONALLY RIP OUT YOUR THROAT AND TIE IT TO A TREE!"

Danoso shivered, clutching the wooden giant frightened. Yup, Kate was P-I-S-S-E-D. She wouldn't be coming out of the tree any time soon.

Waiting until Kate's threatening shouts had quieted down, Danoso carefully descended the tree, trying hard not to shake. After her near-fatal experience with the stony cliff, she preferred to stay off of high things.

Landing on the ground with a soft _thump _Danoso looked around cautiously. She'd have to be careful not to leave a trail that Kate could follow. She had to do this alone, hoping against hope that no one would get hurt. Shouldering her bag, she began making her way through the forest, trying to stick to the well-worn paths.

She walked slowly; noticing for the first time that there was a slight sound of rustling leaves behind her that the wind wasn't responsible for. Whenever the wind would blow past, the leaves and trees would rustle, then stop. But only behind her, not if front would it continue to rustle. Danoso wondered briefly if Kate had followed her, dismissed the idea. Kate would have caught up to her and started yelling, the person trailing her currently following from a distance.

Danoso broke into a run suddenly, dodging behind trees and rocks. Deeming herself far enough, she quickly climbed a tree, heading only high enough so that a person not looking up couldn't see her. She held on, waiting for her follower to appear. Five minutes later, a man stumbled underneath the tree.

She glared at him and quietly began making her way down the tree, careful not to make noise. The stalker moved on, convinced that there was no one around; that she must have gone farther. Danoso landed on the ground without making a sound. She picked her steps carefully, only stepping where there was no chance of noise. Slowly she got closer to her stalker, and when he finally turned around, noticing her presence, Danoso tackled him onto the ground in one swift movement, twisting his arm behind his back and shoving her knee into his back.

"Stop freaking attacking me you crazy kid!" Boones yelled angrily, his voice muffled by the ground.

"Why were you following me?" Danoso demanded, angry.

"Let me go!" Boone shouted, struggling to get loose. He tried to twist away, but she had hold of his arm. As hard as he tried he couldn't get loose.

"No." Danoso tightened her vice like grip on Boone while he struggled. Eventually he stopped, and they were both silent. A strange fruit dropped from a tree and landed with a muffled _thump_. Boone's arm was beginning to hurt, and his back was already sore.

"Let go of me please?" Boone asked, forcing politeness into his voice. He tried to wiggle his arm away from Danoso.

"Why were you following me?" Danoso demanded once more, slamming his arm into his back.

"OW! Let go!" Boone shouted, catching Danoso momentary off guard. His arm came free but before he could do anything, Danoso jerked it back and slammed his face into the ground.

"For the last time, why were you following me?" Danoso demanded.

Boone rotated his face to the side so he could breath. "You ran away from Kate." He said simply, trying to remove Danoso's hand from the back of his head.

"What does that have to do with you? Why were you following me?"

"I was following you to make sure that you don't get hurt. I was following you for Kate." Boone gave up struggling and lay there pitifully.

"Does Kate know where I am?" Danoso asked quietly. She let go of Boones arm and slid off his back. She took a seat on the grass, watching as Boone rubbed his muscles.

"She doesn't know that you're here, or that I'm following you." Boone rolled over to his back, massaging his shoulder and forearm.

"Good. Go back, and tell her not to try and follow me." Danoso got up and brushed off her pants. She shouldered her bag and began walking away from Boone.

"Wait!" Boone shouted. He tried to jump up, but ended up falling back down. He got up slower. Danoso stopped and turned around.

"What?" She said impatiently.

"I'm coming with you."

"You don't even know where I'm going!" Danoso said exasperated.

"I know where you're going. You're going to go find Jack. I want to help." Boone looked at Danoso's bewildered face. "You know, Kate does scream pretty loud," he added.

"No." Danoso turned around instantly and kept walking.

"Common, your going to need me," Boone persisted, picking up his bag.

"No, I'm not. Boone, you're only going to get hurt. I'm not even sure that Jack's there."

"So, I could help!"

"How?" Danoso asked, turning around to face him. "How could you possible help me?"

"Well… I could carry your bag?" Boone said, more asking then answering.

"Okay, but I don't have enough water for both of us."

"I brought my own," Boone pointed to his bag.

"You'll slow me down," Danoso complained.

"No I won't, I'm probably faster then you."

"It'll be easier for Kate to follow us."

"I'll be careful. I'll follow right behind you!"

Danoso looked at him doubtingly. "But if I'm gone, then only Kate's gonna go looking for me. If we're both gone, they'll send out more people."

"Well, we better get going then, uh?" Boone said, pushing ahead of Danoso and beginning to walk.

"Uh, Boone?" Danoso said, staring at him.

"Look, I'm coming with you whether you like it or not, I-"

"I know Boone," Danoso said, giggling slightly. "Its just, your going the wrong way." She pointed toward the mountain and Boone embarrassingly switched directions. "And, thanks," she said with a small smile.

Boone nodded. "Don't mention it. Lets hope you don't hate me as much as Shannon does, cause if so, you're in trouble."

Danoso laughed. "I'm sure Shannon doesn't hate you. You two just like to argue… a lot from what I've heard."

"And from who have you heard this?" Boone asked, Danoso walking beside him.

"Around… And you know, your two aren't exactly quiet."

"Well, she always starts it!" Boone protested.

"Oh yeah, way to be mature there Boone," Danoso teased.

"Oh, you're the one to talk. Haven't you attacked me like, five times?"

"Okay, first time, I thought you were someone else, second time, same thing, third time was just now, and you were stalking me. That's three times." Danoso used her fingers to tick off the instances.

"Okay, fine then, three… But how close can I look to like someone else on this island?" Boone asked.

Danoso looked at him carefully. _Almost identical,_ she thought.

----------------------------------------------

Someone poked Jack in the back of the head and he realized that he'd dozed off. He rolled his head lazily to one side, his back still against the bamboo prison. He moved his arms experimentally, finding that they were still bound together.

"Hey, looks like the doc here's awake Bonnie. What'd we do now?" Jack opened his eyes and found that they adjusted easier to the gloomy light. He saw something in the distance open, and pair of feet coming towards him.

"You sure you can do that Boonie?" the same voice asked anxiously. It was a whiney, weasel voice, one that Jack found irritating. He found he was thirsty, the rag in his mouth absorbing all the moisture.

"I can do whatever the hell I want." This voice came from nearer to him, and Jack assumed it belonged to the man in front of him, Boonie.

"But Beng'll-"

"I dun care what Beng'll do, don't tell him and he won't know!" the voice yelled. It was deeper then the other, holding more authority. Jack guessed it belonged to the man named Boonie, the man in front of him.

"'Ello there doc." Boonie came down to Jacks level and grabbed the rag cloth, giving Jack a wicked grin. "Let's get a look at chu'." He moved Jacks face so he was looking directly at Boonie. Jack's breath stopped. Boonie had short, brown hair that curled out slightly at the edges. You could see the beginnings of a stiff beard growing, and his eyes were ice blue. Suddenly, Jack understood everything Danoso had told him. This was the guy that hurt her. This was the guy that looked like Boone, the one who made her attack Boone in the first place.

-----------------------------

Danoso looked around. "He's evil," she whispered quietly. Jack looked down at her, expecting her to suddenly laugh and say, 'gotcha!' But her eyes were dead serious.

"_What?" _

"_Boone, he's evil. He hurt me, and he's going to hurt all of you as well," she whispered, looking Jack straight in the eye. _

"_Right… well, can you tell me what he did to you?" Jack asked, not really believing what Danoso was saying. _

_Danoso studied Jack. She could tell that he was trying to believe her, but the way he forced his eyes to remain serious, and the way his mouth twitched, she could knew he didn't believe a word she said. Yet, it was the truth. She looked at Jack, who was still awaiting a reply. "Some things are better left unknown," she whispered, down-casting her eyes._

------------------------------

Now Jack knew. It wasn't Boone who Danoso had been talking to then, it was this look alike. Rage suddenly filled Jack's body. This was the guy that had hurt her, the guy that 'looked like his friend Boone'. Knowing that the guy had hurt Danoso made Jack want to hurt him back. Get even. Jack glared at Boonie and suddenly thrust his body forward, his forehead hitting the bottom of Boonies jaw. A loud crack sounded through the small cavern.

Jack's attack had been completely un-predicted. Never in his lifetime had Boonie seen such a thing. He'd seen people getting their ass kicked because they didn't take precautions, but this was crazy. The doc was completely helpless, yet he still managed to attack. Falling on his back, caught of balance, Boonie held his jaw tight.

_It dun feel broke, but damn, it hurt_.

He stood up and kicked the doc savagely in the side. Jack groaned and curled up into a ball to try to ease the pain. Boonie lined up for another kick.

"Hey, Boonie, what the hell do you think you doing?" Weasel voice shouted out. Running into the bamboo prison, he pulled Boonie back.

"Let go of me ya dam prick!" Boonie snarled, attempting to get to Jack, who was lying on the ground, unable to move, struggling to breath.

"It ain't worth it Boonie, leave 'em alone! Ya'll get him backs later!" Weasel voice cried. Boonie calmed at the thought.

"Yar right, I will won't I." Boonie smiled evilly. "Don't go anywhere's docs, cause I'll be back in a jiffy.

Jack lie on the ground, struggling to breath. Hell if he was going anywhere. His ribs hurt every time he breathed in and out, and he was beginning to doubt his decision to attack Boonie. The mouth gag wasn't helping, and he felt like his tongue was made of sandpaper.

"Give 'em this." Boonie tossed Weasel voice a bottle of water, and Jack looked at it hungrily. He hated that he was at the mercy of others. It wasn't right. But he needed the water. Jack glared at Boonie as he left the cave whistling.

"Come'r hot shot," Weasel voice said, his voice growing unbearably whiney. "Nots a smart thing to do, goin off an hittin Boonie like that. He's gots a temper he does." Weasel voice placed Jack upright against the bamboo, his side shooting with pain. "'Ere ya go," he said, untying Jacks mouth gag and raising the bottle of water to his mouth. Jack gulped it down hungrily. When the bottle only had a third left, Weasel voice removed it. "That's all ya get doc." And with that he capped it.

"What do you want with me." Jack didn't recognize his own voice. It sounded old and cracked; weak. Weasel voice replaced the gag feverishly.

"Ya'll find out soon 'nuff, dun be too curious," Weasel voice answered, walking out of the encampment. "Be a goods boy and dun do nuthin outta yur mind." He tapped his head and left. Jack was once again left in the cave until his two captors returned.

Slumping back down to the ground, Jack attempted to make himself comfortable, almost certain he'd broken a rib or two.

TBC…

** -LOST-**

** Cohen101**


	7. 7 The Loop

**Thanks for all the Reviews, loved them.**

**_Lady Venya of the isle – _Omg, I've created monsters. That comment made my day, Lol.**

**_Crazy4MaggieGrace –_ Thanks for reviewing! I wonder if Kate would actually kill Danoso…**

**_TotallyLost – _Hehehe, That's a good thing. Glad you like it.**

**_Baudelaire7 – _I LOVE cliffhangers. I love them. I could marry them. Expect more, lol. I realize that I'm a bit late in saying this, but yes… I do believe that House came in after Lost started… but no one needs to know that, right? Right? stare **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Lost, but I do love it, and how bloody useless Shannon is in the first episode… I should really mention her in the story, eh? Oh well, she just literally stands there and SCREAMS. Everyone's running around her, and she's standing there screaming. Anyways, don't own Lost. **

**Please R&R:D**

**7.7 The Loop**

"Hey, Sawyer," Kate called out, Sawyer instantly removing his glasses and looking up slightly embarrassed. Dusk was setting slowly, the sunset sending shimmering red lights across the uncharacteristically peaceful ocean.

"Hey sweet cheeks, what're you up to?" Sawyer asked coolly, also hiding the copy of Watership Down he'd been reading.

"Have you seen Danoso around?" Kate tried to seem casual land leaned against a tree. She'd been looking for her since morning, attempting to track her down, but she couldn't find her tracks anywhere, only ones that seemed like Boones.

"Nah…" He looked at Kate's worried expression. "I take it she hasn't come back with Jackass yet, uh?"

Kate looked up startled. "How do you-"

"You do yell pretty loud there, freckles," Sawyer answered. The whole island knew that Danoso had gone after Jack, much to Kate's dismay. "Don't worry about it Freckles, they'll come back fine."

---------------------------

"Katie, this is ridiculous. It's three in the morning. We aren't going to find him, and your mother's going to be pissed."

"_Tom, I was supposed to be looking after him. Do you know what my mom'll do if I show up and say, 'Oh, hey mom, guess what, I lost your youngest son, nigh night." _

_Tom laughed despite himself. "I guess it wouldn't go that smooth."_

"_No, it wouldn't. Common," Kate sat down on her bike and pedaled away, Tom following closely behind her. Every second street lamp seemed to be broken; the lane plunged into a lopsided gloom. Tom's bike rattled noisily behind her. _

"_DUSTIN! DUST, WHERE ARE YOU?" Kate shouted, hoping that curious house dwellers wouldn't look out their windows. _

"_Did anyone ever tell you how loud you yell?" Tom asked, bouncing a flashlight back and forth on the street, one hand steering. _

"_Nope, you're the first one," Kate grinned. Tom looked at her to see if she was serious. She was the loudest person in their class. _

"_I still can't believe you lost him," Tom said, shaking his head in disbelief. "Are you going to be losing our kids like that?" Tom asked, laughing. _

"_No, because you'll be helping me baby-sit them… DUSTIN!" Kate yelled again, turning the corner, spotting a dark playground. _

"_Maybe he's in there," Tom pointed to the playground's small tunnel tube with his flashlight. _

_Kate pulled up by the park and set her bike down. "Maybe," she said, walking over to the tunnel and peering into it while Tom kept his distance, getting off his bike nervously. _

"_I think theirs someone in here!" Kate shouted back at him. He came closer with the flashlight, maneuvering it so that it lit up the interior of the tunnel. _

"_Dustin?" Tom stood behind Kate and they both looked at the lump of blackness in the kiddy tunnel. _

_The buddle moved. "Hey, Dust, time to go home. Mommy's worried," Kate said in a gentle voice, crawling in half way. _

"_What'd you want!" A scruffy head popped out of the buddle so suddenly that both Kate and Tom screamed. Tome dropped the flashlight and Kate began struggling to back out of the tunnel, freaked. Insanely yellow eyes darted this way and that, gleaming oddly, the flashlight sending a beam of light at them at an odd angle. His hair shook with the movements of his head, thin, scraggly white hair whipping this way and that. Kate scrambled out of the tunnel, hitting her head on the top. Tom helped her up and without a glance back at the man who was now muttering nonsense under his breath; they tore through the park, hopped on their bikes, and pedaled like the devil himself was after them. _

_Kate turned into a small path, pedaling in the desert sand, Tom following closely behind. They rode the trial by memory, the moonlight bathing them with light. Suddenly, Kate let herself and her bike fall to the ground, laughing helplessly. Tom followed suite, and they lay there laughing, under their favorite tree, the branches reaching out, protecting them._

"_God, was that the scariest thing in the world or what!" Kate exclaimed, sighing. _

"_Yeah, it was pretty insane… How come I always get into these things with you?" Tom asked, turning around to face her._

"_How come you always follow me into these things?" Kate asked back, grinning. She turned and looked him in the eye. His warm, hazel eyes. The eyes that were always there for her._

"_I love you Katie," Tom said suddenly, leaning forward._

'_I love you too Tom." She looked into Tom's eyes. He looked at her expectantly. "We should really get going, we gotta find Dustin," Kate sigh, getting up and grabbing her bike._

_--------------------------------_

"Kate! KATE!" Sawyer yelled, winding up, about to throw his tattered book at her.

"What…" Kate trailed off embarrassed. She must have started daydreaming.

"Don't worry sweet cheeks, I'm sure they'll keep it secret." He grinned at her.

"Uh-uh," Kate trailed off, not really sure what he'd been saying. "Thanks," she turned to leave.

"Oh yeah," Sawyer called, putting his glasses back on. "Shannon wanted me to ask you if you'd seen Boone. Seems he's gone missing too."

Kate nodded her thanks but kept moving. Why had she begun thinking about Tom? Was it possible that Boone had gone with Danoso to find Jack, just like Tom had gone with her to find Dustin? It was easier to track two people then one, and Danoso seemed pretty good at hiding her path. But with Boone tagging along with her… she didn't know. She would have to find Shannon and ask her.

-------------------------

"Boone, you're killing me here," Danoso said, stopping. Boone was like a bear in the jungle, leaving a trail the size of Texas. They'd made good progress, and they were already at the base of the mountain.

"What? Why? I'm not even near you," he looked at Danoso.

Danoso regarded him suspiciously. "Are you trying to get me caught by Kate?"

"No, why would I want to do that? You realize that you're not the only who's going to get their head chewed off if we get caught." Boone sat down on a rock and took out one of his water bottles.

"Never mind. Just try to be less like a elephant on two feet and more like a stealthy spy." Danoso sat down next to Boone and took the water bottle from him, helping herself. As much as she had complained about his company at first, she was grateful. True, she was still a little edgy around him at times, but spending time with him had shown her that Jack was right. He was a pretty good person.

"But elephants can't walk on two feet," Boone laughed.

"Babar can," Danoso retorted. It was true. Babar could walk on two feet. Along with having a fashion sense, being able to talk, and reading to his kids.

"You watch Babar?" Boone said incredulously. Danoso didn't strike him as one that watched cartoons about talking animals.

"No, my brother does. Did I guess." Danoso drained the last of the water and handed it back to Boone.

"You have a brother?" he asked.

"Yeah, and a big sister. Not anymore though… It's a long story," Danoso got up and looked up at the mountain. There was an out-of-place snowcap on the top of it, part of it snaking down right to the middle of the mountain. "That's where were heading," Danoso said, pointing to the lowest point.

"Really?" Boone noticed the shift in topic and went along with it. He followed Danoso's finger and sighed. "Was there always snow there?" he asked put the empty bottle into his bag, and hoisted it up onto his shoulder.

"I don't know, I never really paid that much attention…it's odd though. I mean, we're in the tropical hemisphere or whatever, you wouldn't think that…." Danoso trailed off looking behind Boone, an unreadable expression on her face.

"What?" Boone asked. Danoso looked ready to fly. Her muscles tensed, and her eyes darted back and forth, between Boone, and something behind him.

Or someone.

For the first time, Boone noticed odd crunching noises in the forest. He quickly scanned the trees around them, and distinguished the faint outlines of peoples. They'd been unknowingly surrounded. But by whom? There were no other people on the island except for the survivors of the plane crash.

"Move and we shoot him. Take your hands out of your pockets." The voice was cold and commanding.

Boone looked over a Danoso, who removed her hands from her pockets gingerly; glaring at who ever was behind Boone. Boone began to move, but someone cocked a gun behind him. He stopped short and held up his hands.

"What do you want?" Danoso asked perfectly calm. Boone looked at her surprised. He was right in front of her, and he could clearly see two people not ten yards away. How could she be so calm?

"Drop it."

Danoso glared at the person, but didn't move.

"We will shoot him." More guns cocked. Boone gulped. What the hell was going on? The people behind Danoso raised their guns at him, arms steady.

"So do it," Boone scoffed. He immediately regretted his words. Three bullets came whizzing towards him. He didn't have time to react. They all missed, but they were close enough.

Danoso remained impassive, staring whomever down. A shot fired out, and Boone instinctively dove to the ground, covering his head. The bullet missed him by a hair. He looked up and one of the men behind Danoso re-cocked his gun. _Okay, so they are serious. _

Danoso slowly uncurled her hand, a small silver dagger falling to the ground, landing point down, driving into the earth. Boone remained on the ground, unwilling to move.

"Don't hurt him," Danoso said, seeing the person that had been behind Boone in whole. She didn't know him, but she knew what must be happening. These were the Others. These were the people who took Jack, the ones who took her before.

The man grinned. "Can't make any promises lassie," he said.

Danoso gritted her teeth and prayed that Boone had the sense to stay on the ground, where he was relatively out of harms way. "What do you want?" she asked, careful to let no emotion into her voice.

"That's a vague question, with a lot of different answers-" another gunshot rang out, but this time Boone could be heard audibly gasping. As close as the other shot had been, this one had been closer. Boone could smell the gunpowder, and he could see the hole the bullet made when it blew right by his nose. He could still feel the heat of it. Maybe a sneak attack wasn't such a good idea.

"Don't hurt him!" Danoso cried, beginning to move.

"Don't," the guy warned, cocking his gun again. This time, Boone could see that both the man Danoso was talking to and the two behind her had their guns pointed at him. Danoso forced herself to stop, shaking slightly.

"Don't hurt him," she repeated softly.

"That depends."

"On what?" Boone was thinking the same thing.

"We know how you work. Do what we tell you, and we won't hurt your friend. If not-" the man fired his gun, the bullet landing only centimeters away from Boone's chest. _Jesus! Stop freaking shooting me!_ Boone thought, jumping away from the bullet, but remaining on the ground. He was more confused then ever.

Danoso looked hard at Boone. The guy re-cocked his gun again. "Where's Jack?" she asked finally.

"Jack? Jack will be fine… as long as you do what we tell you. But like I said, if not-" the man fired at Boone again. This time he just missed the inside of his arm. Boone winced badly. He was still confused. Why the hell did they want Danoso? Why the hell did they have Jack? Who the hell were they? And why, _why, _did they keep shooting at_ him_!

"Stop it!" Danoso yelled. The guy lowered his gun.

"Get up." Boone looked at Danoso. Danoso stared back at him and nodded. The guy cleared his throat. It took Boone a while to realize the guy had directed his order to him. Boone shakily got up, holding his hands up.

The guy signaled to one of the others. Someone came out of the forest and took Boone's arm firmly. He had his gun trained on Boone and tried pulling him away. Boone resisted and the guy pulled harder. Boone suddenly released and clocked the guy in the jaw as hard as he could. The sound of the jaw cracking and an explosion simultaneously rang through the jungle. In a flash, both Boone and the guy were on the ground, Boone clutching his leg, where a spot of blood was quickly expanding.

"Ow…" Boone muttered, pressing against the spot where the bullet went in, trying both to stop the pain and the bleeding.

"Boone!" Danoso cried, and she ran to him, grabbing the dagger that had fallen into the ground as she passed it. She ignored the shouts of the Others and slid down to the ground beside him. She quickly fingered the spot where the bullet had penetrated and tore off the denim below it. There was blood flowing freely through a thumb-sized hole. Danoso looked closely at it, taking a deep breath. _Shit_. She plucked up her courage and raised the blade. Slicing the hole in Boone's leg, making it larger, she put her finger in and felt the steel casing. She could almost hear Boone's teeth grinding together.

"Give me a second, give me a second," Danoso muttered, using the dagger and her finger to gently pull out the bullet. When it came out, she dropped it on the ground and picked up the cloth she'd ripped off before. She quickly spun it tightly around his leg, managing to tie it off before two strong hands picked her up. She was suddenly airborne, and started kicking her feet, trying to get loose.

"Boone-" She felt the hand coming down on her neck, and then she was gone.

------------------------------------------------------

A cold splash of water stung Jack's face, followed up by a rough hull upwards. Jack snapped his eyes open alarmed. Someone was holding him up, and it felt like whoever it was, was stabbing his ribs repeatedly.

"Tell him I'll be a second." Jack tried to get a look at the person talking, but he was behind Jack's back.

He felt the cool steel of a knife on his cheekbone and for a crazy second he wondered whether the person was going to cut off his jaw, like in one of those horror movies. But the knife simply cut through the gag tied around his mouth, and the hands that held him up let him go, and he had no choice but to let gravity take over and pull him to the ground. He fell hard, crushing his hands, stunned for a second, the shock coursing through his body, brutally focusing on Jacks side. He suddenly remembered being kicked in the spot, and was now positive something had broken. It hurt with every breath he took, and he focused on taking only shallow, slow breaths. He tried to roll off his hands but quickly gave up. It hurt too much to move.

"Stupid Boonie, stupid, stupid, stupid!" the man was now muttering angrily, cutting the rope from around Jack's ankles off.

Jack opened his mouth and tried to speak. Nothing came out. Even his tongue was dry. He tried again. "Who are you?" It was barley a whisper, but somehow the man heard him.

"Me?" the man regarded Jack. "My names Thor. Now, roll over." Jack stared at him. There was no way he was exposing his back to this guy. "I have to cut you loose," Thor said impatiently.

"I can't." Jack didn't even try to move this time.

"What do you mean you can't?"

"I _can'_t. My rib, I think it's broken. I can't." Jack stopped abruptly and took as deep a breath as he dared. He'd never had a broken rib before, but he'd seen plenty of patients that had had them. He now understood just how much it hurt, and he left himself a mental reminder to show more sympathy to them.

"What happened?" Thor asked, lifting Jack up slowly. He gently propped Jack against the wall and cut off the rope that was holding Jack's hands together.

"Someone kicked me," Jack gasped. He felt the rope drop away and brought his hands forward, gingerly, then snaked them around his stomach, pressing gently against his rib. He felt it shift slightly. It was broken.

"You going to be okay?" Thor asked. Jack nodded, but Thor could see that he was lying. The guy was in pain.

"I'll be right back." Thor put a bottle of clear water on the ground beside Jack. He looked at Jack then got up and left, locking the door behind him.

Jack moved his legs and toes experimentally, as he reached for the bottle of water, using as little movement as possible. He wondered how long he'd been trapped here, how long he'd been missing. Whether or not Kate or Danoso would come looking for him. He struggled to open the cap, but once he did, drained the bottle down to the last drop. He dropped the bottle and rested his head in-between two poles behind him. How'd he get himself into this mess?

He remembered leaving Danoso that night, however long ago, and taking the path down to his cave. He remembered getting ready for bed, and going to sleep… or did he only think he remembered that? Jack shook his head, not entirely sure he was sane at this point. He'd come to realize that no one on the islands previous life had been perfect. Kate had her fugitive thing, Charlie had been a junkie, Danoso had her family problems, and the list kept going. Why were they here in the first place? Logic said that they shouldn't have survived the plane crash; yet here they were. He saw Thor unlock the door to his current residence from the corner of his eye.

"Scared I'm going to run?" Jack asked, giving Thor a weak smile. Thor didn't return it.

"Just a precaution. Here." Thor tossed Jack a length of odd-looking bandage. "I'll be back in one second, are you hungry?"

"Yeah," Jack suddenly noticed how hungry he really was, his stomach grumbling. "Really, actually."

"What do you want with me?" Jack asked as Thor turned away to leave.

Thor looked Jack over. "We don't want you, we want someone else."

"So then… I'm like bait?" Jack asked, thinking.

"Bait? Sure, why not."

"Who are you trying to get?" he asked, still sitting on the ground, successfully wrapping the bandage around his ribs.

"That's not your concern." Thor answered shortly, partly annoyed.

"How did you get on the island in the first place? How long have you been here?"

"That's not the question you should be asking."

"What are you doing here? How do you get along?" Jack persisted, curious.

"I think you should shut up." Thor walked out of the cell and locked the door.

"Who was that guy in here earlier, the one who looked like Boone?" Jack shouted, but he'd already left. Somewhere in the distance, there was a slam, and Jack carefully got up. The water had rejuvenated his body, and his ribs were now only a dull ache. He stood up for what seemed like the first time in ages, and walked over to the door. There was a lock and deadbolts keeping the door shut. Jack set to work, trying to open the door.

-----------------------------------------------------

"What are you saying you found?" Charlie asked Hurley, who was struggling to keep up with him in the dense jungle.

"A plane dude. It's like, all rusty and stuff, but dude, what if the transmitter thing works?" Hurley said excitedly, panting.

"Okay, I know it's a plane, but why the bloody hell are you telling me, not like, Jack, or Kate or someone else?" Charlie asked.

"Because Jack's missing. Jeez, didn't you hear Kate screaming yesterday? I though everyone would've." Hurley stopped for a quick breath and Charlie backpedaled to stand with him.

"Jack's missing?"

"Yeah. Dude, didn't you hear Kate yelling? She was pretty loud…He went missing yesterday, and I think Kate was looking for that kid of Jack's." Hurley resumed walking, sweat dripping off his brow. Charlie followed intently behind.

"Who, Danoso?"

"Yeah, that one. Where'd she come from anyways?" Hurley asked. There was always so much going on in the island, it was hard to keep track sometimes.

"It's… kind of a long story. I'll tell you later though. So what, they just disappeared into bloody oblivion?"

"Seems so by what Kate said. And I was talking to Shannon today, and I think she thinks that Boone when along with her."

"Who, Danoso?"

"Yeah, Danoso. Try keeping up." Hurley stopped so suddenly that Charlie almost ran into him. "Dude." Hurley said, pointing. Charlie followed the invisible line and gasped. There, in front of him were the scraps of twisted metal that once upon a time made up the fuselage of a small bush plane.

"It's a bloody plane…" Charlie said. He walked towards the remains and jerked the pilot's door open.

"Yep, it's a plane. What do we do now?"

------------------------------------

A cool wind came underneath Jack's oversized shirt and Danoso woke up. Her neck was sore, and the ground was damp underneath her. It was dark, gloomy, the steady repetitive pattern of falling rain echoing in her head. She opened her eyes, and her ears started buzzing. She huddled up tighter, opening her eyes fully. Before she could even look around, she heard a high, weaselish voice squeal out.

" 'Ey, 'ey, Boonie, the runways awakes!"

"So she is." The familiar voice nearly made Danoso's heart stop. No. Not again. A strong hand seized her arm and roughly pulled her to her feet. Caught of guard, Danoso stumbled a bit, Boonie grabbing the back of her shirt. "Where'd ya think yar going?" Boonie snarled.

"Get off me-" Danoso tried to swipe Boonies arm off the back of her shirt, but Boonie caught it and twisted it behind her back.

"Now, what'd ya think yar doing?" Boonie asked, forcing Danoso to walk forward. Danoso gritted her teeth as Boonie led her out into the rain. The raindrops pelted her face, as she struggled as hard as she could against Boonies forceful direction. It was a lost cause. Boonie was at least 3 times bigger then her, but that didn't stop Danoso from trying.

"Calm the frick down. I want ya to take a look over there." Boonie let go of her arm, instead placing his hand firmly on her shoulder, pinching slightly. He pointed with the other hand and Danoso squinted towards the spot.

It was Jack. It'd been two days since she'd last seem him, and she missed him like crazy. He was on his knees, sporting a blindfold; arms tied behind his back. Danoso looked harder and recognized his hair and the faint outline of the tattoo on his left arm. A man with a knife appeared behind him, waving arrogantly at them. She tried to run to him, but Boonie pulled her back. The man with Jack lowered his knife, placing it at Jack's throat.

"Not that fast," Boonie said, tightening his hold on her shoulder. Danoso balled up her fist and did her best to resist punching Boonie in the face. In addition from being too small to resist, she now had Jack to worry about as well. As they approached Jack, Danoso saw that there was another person sitting in a ridiculously big chair. She knew the one sitting from sight only. She'd never heard him speak, but constantly heard others refer to him as Beng. Danoso assumed that he was their leader.

Once they were a couple meters away from both Jack and the boss, Danoso broke free and began running to Jack.

"Stop, or we'll kill him." The man on the chair warned. Danoso reluctantly stopped.

"You wouldn't kill him." Danoso said, confident.

"And why wouldn't we kill an insignificant speck like that?" Beng asked, laughing.

"Because if you kill him, you'll lose me. And I know that you can't afford to do that." Danoso spat, angry.

It took a second for Beng to reply. "And why is that?"

"I know what you did to me. I know what's in me. I'm too valuable to you for you to risk it."

"How did you…?" he asked suspiciously.

"I'm not as stupid as you think."

"Okay, so you saw through our bluff," Beng said unfazed. " So we won't kill him. But there's nothing keeping us from hurting him." Beng grinned wide, Danoso glaring at him. She was trapped.

"What do you want?" Danoso asked furious.

------------------------------------

Jack shifted his eyes, praying that somehow, miraculously, the blindfold would fall off and he could see what was going on. Thor had come back with food, only to find Jack hacking away the door to his bamboo cell. He'd ordered Jack to eat, not at all happy, then tied his hands, covered his eyes with the blindfold, and led him away to wherever here was. He could hear Danoso's voice, but couldn't move, his ribs aching, something cool and sharp pressing into his neck. Everything on him was soaked, weighing him down, chilling him. Why was Danoso here as well? Was she the one they were holding him bait for? What was going on?

For the first time in some time, Jack was out of the loop.

TBC…

**-LOST-**

**Cohen101**


	8. 8 Never is Better Unless it's Forever

**Alright, so sorry bout the long time no update thingy, but yeah… Self-learning isn't that great for you if you're a procrastinator… I got some SWEET shoes though. Anyways….**

**Thanks to all that reviewed! I love reading them! Keep reviewing! Yay! Share the joy and spundle! …That's not a word, but I don't care!**

**Don't mind the title…couldn't really think of anything else to call it. Don't spend forever trying to understand it… you won't. Unless you have nothing else to do, have fun trying to get what it means. **

**  
Disclaimer : Don't own Lost, but I am expecting a Lost box set with my name on it this Christmas… I wonder if they have Lost Halloween candy…**

**8.8 Never is Better unless it's Forever**

Sawyer cocked the gun in his hand against the fabric of his jeans. _Stay calm,_ he thought to himself, putting the gun in front of him with one steady hand, holding his knapsack up with his other. Why did he agree to help Kate try and find Jack? It was pointless. Now he was out here all-alone, God only knows where, every damn tree looking exactly like the one before it. Rain pounded down over his head; the island unnaturally chilled. A vine came down from a tree out of nowhere.

"Kate! Are you out there!" Sawyer yelled, slightly freaked out. He ripped down the vine and kept walking. Damn, how he wished for a smoke. But he'd giving his last one to Jack's kid. Thinking about it still gave him shivers. It was the first time in what seemed like ever that a kid had hugged him. Maybe the first time in his life that a kid had hugged him and actually meant it. He allowed himself to smile at the memory, but only a little, because no one was there. There was something about Jack's kid that made him feel good about himself, made him think that he wasn't all that bad.

-----------------------------------

"**Stop it. Please stop it. Go away. Stop it. What the hell is wrong with you? I'm calling the police, get out of here. What are you doing? What the hell are you doing with a gun, get out of here…" **

**The sound of the gunshot ricocheted off the walls of his pale blue room, the sound forever implanted in the horrors of his childhood, to be stored away in the darkest labyrinth of his brain, always there, but never wanted. **   
**James huddled under the bed, his small body fitting easily under the musty mattress. His daddy's dark clad boots clucked noisily against the floor. The mattress sunk down, the weight of the world, crashing down around Little James' shoulders. He pressed against the floor, hiding from the burden for as long as possible. Then another shot, and Little James was alone in the world, abandoned by his parents, his only comfort his last words to his mommy being "I love you." **

-----

"_Ms. Carme, Ms. Carme, James won't stop thrashing!" _

"Mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy," James repeated deliriously, still trapped in the nightmare he woke up to every morning. Night and day he was tormented. He'd come to hate the night, for it was the worst, when he re-lived the terror, as when it was day, he's mind could only play it back.

"What is it Jason?" Ms. Carme asked sleepily, opening the door to the boys' dormitory. The other five boys in the room had long before immune themselves from the late night visits, James' voice whispering in the darkness. She had her bathrobe on, and the illuminated clock read 3:30 AM.

"Ms. Carme, it's James, he's muttering again." Jason relayed worriedly. It wasn't the first time that this had happened. For the two months that James had been there, a boy from James' dorm had waken a director almost every single night. He'd already switched dorms twice.

"Oh dear, not again." Ms. Carme was a patient soul, caring and compassionate, but this was getting to be too much. She didn't fancy being woken up everyday at midnight, for five days in a row.

"James, James, wake up. James," Ms. Carme went over to sit on the lower bunk of the bed James and Jason shared together. She didn't notice Jason slipping out of the door, into the hallway.

"Mommy, mommy," James muttered, hanging onto Ms. Carme as she lifted him up, hugging him tightly.

"I'm not your mommy James, your mommy is gone." Ms. Carme said harshly, but James only grasped her bathrobe tighter, sobbing harder. "James, if you do not stop this, this second, I will leave, understand me?"

James shook his head and cried harder. "Mommy…" Ms. Carme got up to leave, but James hung off her. "Mommy, don't leave me mommy, I love you mommy," he cried as Ms. Carme firmly removed his hands and set him back to bed, placing a fluffy bear in his hands. Sawyer let go of the bear immediately, longing for the soft reassuring voice, the reassuring hold of his mother. Ms. Carme left the dorm, shutting the door behind her, forgetting all about sly little Jason.

As soon as Ms. Carme had left the dorm, leaving the door foolishly unlocked, Jason entered, a pretty girl in tow. "He won't stop," Jason whispered to her. She nodded understandingly. She'd been the same. But her years in the system had hardened her heart, and she had to teach James to be the same.

"James, shush, I'm here for you," Alexandra cooed, gathering James' figure in her arms and hugging him tightly. She lay down on the bed aside him, holding him protectively in her arms. James breathed in her scent, calming down almost immediately. Although she was only a year older, she was like the big sister he'd never had.

Alexandra stroked his hair, just like James mother had once long, long ago. Jason climbed up onto the top of the bunk; glad he could help a friend. No one knew James' story, except that he had no parents or relatives that wanted him.

"I love you," Alexandra murmured, talking from her heart. James was her baby brother.

"I love you too, mommy," James muttered tiredly, burying his head in Alexandra's body.

Alexandra shook her head. Her baby brother would always be stuck in the past.

-----------------------------

Sawyer wiped under his eyes, not sure whether or not the wetness was from tears or the rain…. Or both. He'd been wandering aimlessly, remembered the past he swore to put behind him when he ran away to find the guy who screwed his daddy over. He was a different person then, the kid who used to cry himself to sleep every night gone forever.

Sawyer stopped, sitting down and taking out some water. He started at the rotting wood of a ship, wondering what had happened to all his childhood friends. Jason, Alexandra, all of them.

Then he realized he was staring at the rotting wood of a ship.

What the hell, he thought to himself. He stood up, shaking out his hair. What the hell was this? He walked around it until he found an entrance, a very fancy hole in the bottom of the stern. He wandered in, gun raised. This island was just full of surprises. He walked into a corridor, kicking open the first door that he saw. Always wanted to do that, he thought to himself, smirking. Boxes littered the floor, stacked on top of each other, each one labeled "DANGER, EXPLOSIVES!" on the side.

He clicked on the safety of his gun and put it in his waistband. Using his fingers, he managed to get the lid off one of the carts. Sure enough, neatly stacked in protective insulation, were rows of TNT sticks.

"Shit," Sawyer whispered to himself, backing out of the ship and back into the forest. He had to go tell someone about this.

---------------------------------------

Danoso sat on a rock, crying, the darkness shrouding her body indefinitely. They wanted her to get Kate and Charlie, or they'd hurt Jack. There was no way she could do it, but she'd promised regardless. Jack was the one who stuck by her, even after she attacked Boone repeatedly. But there was no way she could make a decision that dealed with other people's lives. _What am I going to do?_

"Hey…" Danoso wiped her face with her sleeve and looked up. Was she imagining it, or was that really a voice she'd heard.

"Hello?" she called out timidly. She shakily got up, walking apprehensively into the darkness. It was well into the night, and it'd been dark for sometime. The rain had slowed into just a light drizzle, barley noticeable.

"Hello?" she repeated, wishing for some light, but the moons beams were intercepted by the branches and leaves of the trees surrounding.

"Danoso…" This time she was positive she had heard a voice.

"Hello? Who are you?" she asked, walking slowly, her hands in front of her, feeling her way around trees.

"Boone…" Danoso quickened her pace. She'd forgotten all about Boone.

"Boone, where are you?" she called, a couple thin rays of light breaking through the canopy.

"Follow my voice…" She was getting closer, she knew. His voice was getting stronger, slightly louder, but still just a whisper in the forest full of noises. She stumbled over a log, face planting in a small bushel of grass, the log groaned.

"Boone, where are you?" she called.

"Behind you," he answered, laughing slightly, stopping suddenly with a sudden gasp.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry!" Danoso turned around and recoiled. Boone had been beaten up. Bad. "Are you okay," she whispered.

"All things considered? I'm fine," Boone answered with a painful smile.

"Oh God…" Danoso moved to him and put his head on her lap. She took the tip of her shirt and cleaned the blood off his face. "How long have you been out here?" she asked.

"Couple hours, I don't know…" he closed his eyes and yawned.

"Do you think you can walk?"

"Yeah, I'll be good." Using a tree trunk as support, he hazardously pulled himself up. Danoso got up with him, supporting his back. "Maybe not…" Boone said, swaying alarmingly.

Danoso thought for a moment. "Can you get onto my back?" she asked. Boone gave her a look. He was twice as big as she was. There was no way she could carry him. "I'll be fine. Here," she said, leaning over a little, placing her hand on a tree.

"Are you sure?"

"Just do it." Boone let go of the tree and instead grabbed onto Danoso's shoulders. With a sigh and a grunt he pulled himself onto her back. Danoso swayed as his full weight threatened to buckle her knees. She strained her legs, taking a small step forward. Then a bigger one. Soon, she was walking half pace through the dense jungle.

"Are you okay?" he asked. As much as he didn't want to hurt her, it was probably the best solution, the fastest way.

"I'll be fine," Danoso panted stubbornly. She couldn't keep it up for long, but at least they were making progress. Boone rested his head on the top of hers, too tired to keep his eyes open.

-------------------------

Sawyer was, in fact, completely and utterly lost. To make matters worse, night had fallen hours ago, so he was now wandering around in the dark. He'd headed off in the direction that he thought the beach was in, but had so far gotten nowhere nearer to the sandy beaches of their camp. _At least the damn rains stopped_, he thought to himself, although he could still feel a slight mist. The trees rustled beside him, although there was no wind. He flipped the safety off his gun and pressed his back against a tree.

"Who's out there!" he yelled. He was probably yelling at a boar, or a bear, or a rat, or a twig, like the other ten times, but it felt good to announce his presence.

"Sawyer?" Sawyer half recognized the voice, from where he didn't know. It was desperate, tired.

"Sweet Cheeks!" Sawyer called out, positive that it wasn't Kate. It sounded too young to be Kate's voice.

"Sawyer, help me!" Sawyer ran out into the forest, sure that someone who was asking him for help wouldn't want to kill him. It took him about five seconds to locate the source of the plead, a big lump disturbing the normal ebony of the ground.

"What in heavens…"

"Get him off me! Quick!" It was more muffled now, but Sawyer still could not place where he'd heard the voice. Confused but willing, he obediently walked over to the to lump and found that it was, in reality, two people, one body on top of a much more petite one. He pushed the upper one off and it limply rolled away.

"Thanks, I don't know what happened, my knees just buckled… What are you doing out here?" she asked. Sawyer immediately identified it, now having a faint face to partner it up with. It was Danoso. Now he only needed to find Jacks, and it'd be two for two.

"Were you carrying him?" Boone was twice as big as she was.

"Why are you out here?" Danoso asked, not answering the question.

"I was looking for you. No luck that Jackass is hiding somewhere in the bushes, eh?" Sawyer looked around the dark woods expectantly.

Danoso didn't answer. "Do you know where the beach is?"

"Was hopin' you could tell me there T. What's wrong with… Boone?" No way. Sawyer smirked to himself. So old Boone really had tagged along with Danoso.

Danoso looked over at Boone. "Um…" How was she supposed to explain this?

"Wait a minute… Is this, blood? Dang, we gots ourselves a cold one." Sawyer felt Boone's face, a cold sticky substance rubbing off on his hand. How he wished it were light out.

"Can you help me carry him back to the beach?" Danoso asked, again avoiding the question.

"By help, do you mean your actually going to help me, or that you just wanted to sound polite?"

"I wanted to be polite. Can you carry him to the beach?" Danoso asked, taking a stab at trying to get Boone to stand with her. But Boone was out cold and all she accomplished was getting pulled down again.

"Yeah, I'll help, but not a word about this to anyone. Dun want people thinking I'm going soft." Sawyer took Boone's arms and pulled him on to his back, surprised at how much he weighted.

"How far did you say you walked?" he asked Danoso.

"I didn't. How long have you been out here?" She followed Sawyer as he headed along a path known only to him.

Sawyer noted that she avoided answering, and realized that she hadn't answered a single one of his questions. "Since around noon I'm guessing. You find the most bizarre things on the island, ya know?"

Danoso nodded, agreeing. "Like what?"

"Like, say, dynamite. Found a whole room full of it on this old ship."

"Oh. Cool," she said distractedly. She was too busy thinking of what to do to get Jack back, and who to tell. She needed a plan, and she needed one fast.

Sawyer looked at Danoso closely. She looked worried, dejected some. "Where'd you and Boone here disappear to T?" he asked.

"Hm? Oh," Danoso pulled out of her daydream and looked hard in front of her. How was she supposed to explain? "We just took a walk…"

"Of course you did." Sawyer rolled his eyes. And he was supposed to believe that? "Then where's Jackass gone off too?" He waited for her to answer.

"Sorry, I'm a bit preoccupied. Explain everything later?" She offered, but she knew that Sawyer was hurt. Or angry. Or hurt and angry.

Sawyer didn't say anything, and she shut down and followed silently behind him. Apparently something was up, and if she didn't want him to know, then he didn't care. She could go zombie on him for all he cared, it was her problem, not his. Sawyer sighed. That's the way it always was.

-------------------------------

Kate was out of her mind with worry. Not only had she lost Jack, then Danoso, but Boone was nowhere to be found, and she was pretty sure she'd sent Sawyer to death via polar bear attack or something by sending him out into the forest by himself.

It was early morning, the sky still a pale black, the water crunching gently against the beige colored sand. She'd gone out into the forest with Locke numerously, trying to track Danoso's tracks, then, when she found out the Boone was missing, tried to track Boones tracks. They went along with each other until a clearing, deep into the woods, at the base of a mountain, where everything just stopped. She had no idea what had happened, or where anyone had gone, or whether or not anyone was even alive.

She surprised herself, caring this much for people she'd only known for a little over a month, one of them for only less then two weeks. When Tom had died, she thought she'd be incapable of ever caring for another person. And here she was, worrying, on the verge of tears, about people who'd been complete strangers before they crashed. When they were rescued, when whoever found them, Kate was going to miss all of them. Maybe not the people she didn't speak to, but people like Sawyer, Michael, Walt, Charlie, Boone, Claire and Jack. Especially Jack. Half the time, she wasn't sure where they stood. She felt drawn to him, but she wasn't sure if he felt it back to her. The day they went picking flowers for Sun was… a milestone. It happened quickly and abruptly, and the next day Jack went off with Danoso to the forest. While they walked together in the forest, she wanted to grab his hand, let him make her feel safe, just like he'd done before.

But he didn't know what she did. No one did. He denied her offer to tell him what she'd done to be escorted by a US Marshal in an oceanic flight, but he denied. Between the Marshal's mug shot, the Marshal dying, and finding the silver gun case, she was sure that Jack didn't want to be mixed up in whatever she was in. As soon as they were found, rescued, she'd be imprisoned… She watched the water, the sun slowly beginning to rise.

"Kate?" Kate squinted her eyes and looked to where the voice was coming from. She recognized the short body, the long light red hair. It was Danoso. Kate stood up quickly, and ran over to her.

"Kate!" Danoso cried, hugging her tightly. "Finally someone normal!" Danoso let go and smiled for the first time in a while.

"What's that supposed to mean?" drawled Sawyer, slightly panted. Kate, who'd been ready to yell herself hoarse at Danoso, looked alarmingly at Boone's face.

"What the hell happened!" she exclaimed, running to Sawyer, looking at Boone, leaving Danoso standing.

"You left me out in the damn jungle, that's what happened!" Sawyer growled with good humor. Kate rolled her eyes.

"I meant to Boone." She looked over at Danoso who'd suddenly withdrawn.

"Asked her the same thing. Won't answer any of my questions." Sawyer and Kate both looked at her.

"Danoso," Kate said, walking over to her. "What happened?"

"I need to tell you something, both of you," she looked over at Sawyer, reminding him that he wasn't forgotten. "But I don't know where to start. I have a plan though."

-----------------------------

"Found anything yet?"

"Yeah dude, I've found, like, a lot of metal, various doll body parts, a broken light bulb, and…" Hurley held up the hard pitch black, shrunken remains of something. "What I think was once a banana. Have I found anything useful? No." He threw away the black object and helped Charlie life a cylinder sheet of metal. "You?" he asked. Charlie shook his head. What a waste of a morning.

"Try checking over there, Hurley," he said, pointing to the tail of the plane. Hurley nodded and moved away, overturning whatever he could. Charlie continued snooping where he was, finding an Advil jar. He shook it excitedly and threw it away when it made no sound. "I thought there would be something bloody useful somewhere around here!" He kicked a seat over angrily. It onto its side, uncovering something Charlie hadn't seen in a long time. A folder.

"Hey, Hurley, come here for a sec." He heard Hurley shuffling over and brushed some metal scraps off the folder.

"What is that?" Hurley asked. Charlie pulled at it, and the corner ripped off.

"Opps," Charlie said, taking his hand away.

"What do you think it is?" Hurley asked.

"I don't know. But whatever it is, its confidential." Charlie pushed a piece of sheet metal that was resting on it away. The folder came half free; "CONFIDE-" could be seen stamped onto it horizontally, in big, bold red letters.

"Dude…" Hurley muttered, standing still. Charlie lifting the seat that was holding it down, and Hurley bent down to pull it free. He studied the cover.

"What is it?" Charlie asked, dropping the seats with a crash, looking over Hurley's shoulder. Hurley remained impassive. "What does it say?"

"Common, share the plunders!" Charlie scolded, taking the folder away from Hurley. It was a thick file; the word "CONFIDENTAL" now clear, along with some numbers that ran along the bottom. It seemed almost too heavy, and Hurley started to pale.

"Don't open it!" he warned.

Charlie looked at him. "Why the bloody hell wouldn't I open it?" Charlie asked. He squinted to see the writing on the bottom. "Hold on, there's numbers!" He read them out loud.

"4…8…15…16…23…46… no, wait, it was a 42. Sorry. So, 4,8,15,16,23,42. What do you reckon those mean?" Charlie asked, looking up.

Hurley knew exactly what they meant. They meant that they shouldn't open the folder, and that they should just leave the plane and run as far and fast away as possible. Charlie ran his finger against the side of the file, opening it slightly before Hurley stopped him. "Dude! Don't open it!" he shouted. He tried to grab the file from Charlie, but missed.

"What's your bloody problem?" Charlie asked unconcerned, opening the file. His mouth opened slightly and he flipped quickly through the various papers.

"Why'd you open it dude?" Hurley whined.

"I think you're going to want to see this," Charlie answered, not able to take his eyes off the documents. Curiosity got the better of Hurley. He reluctantly walked over to Charlie, and looked at the pages he was staring at.

"Dude…"

TBC…

**-LOST-**

**Cohen101**

**A/N : Hope you liked it, dunno when the next chap. Will be up. Ciao!**


	9. 9 Plan

**A/N – Sorry I haven't updated in a while. Kinda had a little writers block… Enjoy this chapter, and have fun :D Wow, its been like, a week. Sorry all:(**

**Disclaimer: I dun own Lost. I wish I did. **

**TotallyLost – Lol, wow. Thanks ;D**

**Baudelaire7 – Lol, thanks :D Sorry I didn't really update "soon" as you call the word. **

**Charmgirl – Yay, new reviewer…unless your not, and you just changed your name :P Thanks!**

**Kailey Curry – Yeah, I am planning to finish it, sorry it took so long to update :P**

**Darren – I think this was for the last chapter, but thanks for reviewing. I love when people email me, it's such a surprise :P **

**R&R PPL:D:D:D:D:D:D:D**

**9.9 Plan**

"Dude…" Hurley stared at the file, quite unable to believe what he saw. It was close to noon, the sun shining brightly in the endless sky above. Hurley's shirt was wet, and it stuck fast to his body.

"Nice mug shot," Charlie commented, shifting a photo over slightly so he could see it better. There was a picture of Jack, with longer hair and no tattoo, holding a plastic beer cup in his teeth, his hand dug in his pocket, looking for something, his arm around a pretty girl with blonde hair.

"Dude…" Hurley took it along with some other papers and sat down on a seat, spreading them out on his lap, getting a better look. The various pages were held together by a paperclip, a shot of various survivors clipped to each one.

"Look, here's one of you," Charlie said, sitting down on the ground, placing the file down. He flipped through the papers attached to a picture of Hurley, with a work shirt on, a visor with a chicken covering his head. "You broke your arm when you were 10?" Charlie asked, flipping through medical files.

"Yeah, why?"

They had everything there. Where Hurley lived, medical records, records of employment, SIN number, and bank records. Charlie stopped when he saw the total. "You _are_ worth a sodden 156 million!"

Hurley looked up from Jack's file worriedly when he heard Charlie. He'd told him before, but what would he think?

"That's bloody brilliant!" Charlie offered Hurley a high five. Hurley grinned, taking it. His happiness was short lived.

"Are those my bank statements?" he asked, moving over to Charlie, reading over his shoulder. Account 45571244862. His account. "How did you get this?" he asked Charlie suspiciously.

"Don't look at me, it was in the file... "

"But then… How did they get it?"

Charlie and Hurley looked at each other, then back at the folder. What was going on?

Hurley sat back on the ground, next to Charlie, and looked through the files he'd taken slowly at first, but started going faster and faster. He took the ones from Charlie, looking at every single picture and name. He came to the end, where a single sheet of blue paper was stapled to the back of the folder.

It was the planes manifest, a record of all the people on the flight. Next to some names, there were red X's. "Dude, have you noticed something strange?"

Charlie looked up from reading the file from the folder on himself.

"Other then this folder containing about 40 peoples whole bloody lives? I'd think that that was strange enough on its own."

"No, I mean, really strange."

"What?" Charlie asked, getting impatient. Everything on the island was strange.

"The people who died in the crash, they're not in the folder. There's nothing on them." Hurley looked at Charlie, who had a blank expression. "The only files in there are the people who survived. How did they know those people would die? Why was this plane here before us? How did it crash? How many people were on it, and where did they go?"

He showed Charlie the blue sheet.

"I don't know," Charlie said, studying it. "I don't know, but we have to tell _someone_."

-------------------------------

"Ocamm's Razor; the simplest way is always the better way. At least, it is in this situation."

"Your crazy."

"Why? We have everything we need, and even stuff we don't need. We'll get Jack back, and at the same time, take care of the Others. What more could you ask for?"

"Okay, I'm sorry, you're not crazy, you're INSANE."

"Why. Why won't it work? One good reason why." Danoso demanded.

"You're gonna get hurt. Jackass'll kill us if you get hurt, not that I'm scared of him, but I'll kill myself if you get hurt. There's your good reason." Sawyer retorted.

"Boone!" Danoso looked pleadingly at Boone. Please let one person be on her side.

"I don't know," he said, looking down and thinking. "It is a good plan, but Sawyer's right, it has the potential to really hurt someone." He looked at Danoso. "I don't want you getting hurt."

"Ohmygod. Kate!" Two against one.

"I agree with Sawyer. I don't want you to get hurt," she sigh, knowing that the odds were, in fact, against Danoso.

"You guys," Danoso whined, looking around their little circle. Boone sat across from her, his face swollen, but otherwise fine, legs crossed, leaning against a log that Sawyer stationed himself on top. Kate sat to her side, a burned out fire in the middle. "I won't get hurt. And even if I do, it won't be your fault." She looked at their doubting faces. "If we want to save Jack, this is the only way to do it. This isn't about me. This is about Jack. People have started asked where he's gone. They need Jack more then they need me. It is risky, and it's worth it. I need your support; I can't do it without you. And I _promise_ I'll be careful."

"Please?" she added softly. She held her breath.

Boone closed his eyes and shook his head. "Fine…" he mumbled. Danoso exhaled. She'd won one over.

"Can't believe I'm saying this… but alright... I hope you know what you're getting yourself into T," he added. Danoso nodded.

Kate was outnumbered. "You have to promise to be careful."

"I will. I do. Pinky swear?" Danoso asked, balling her fist and sticking out her pinky.

"I must be crazy, but okay." She was going to get hurt, Kate could feel it. But there was nothing she could do.

"Thanks you guys." They all looked at the burned out fire thoughtfully.

"We've got a lot of work too do if we want to pull this off by midnight," Boone said, getting up, scratching his face tenderly.

--------------------------

Danoso sat in the darkness, listening for any noise that would alert her of Boonies presence. She shivered. Any second now, Boonie would come through the path in the forest, just like every single night. She felt Boone put his arm around her waist, and she scooted closer to his warm body. Sawyer took off his sweater and put it around Danoso's shoulders. He paused a second, then shifted away, embarrassed.

"Cold?" Boone whispered, concerned.

"I'll be fine," Danoso whispered quietly, feeling safe knowing that she could always rely on Boone, Sawyer and Kate. That one of them would always have her back. And that she wasn't doing this alone.

"We're gonna go."

Danoso nodded at Kate, sure that it was getting close to time. Kate and Sawyer hoisted their bags carefully, careful not to jar the objects inside. They faded away as silently and subtlety as possible, only the slight shifting of leaves a betrayer of their movements.

"Do you think this is going to work?" Boone whispered into her ear.

Danoso nodded, and then realized that he probably wasn't able to see her. "I'm sure it will," she said a little louder then she meant to. The leaves rustled, and the distinguished sound of feet against twigs sounded through the forest. Boone let go of her, and placed his finger to his mouth, in a shushing gesture.

He pointed to the other side of the tree, and Danoso got up, silently as she could, and moved. She looked at Boone, seeing only the faint outline of him, and mimicked his position. Hands tight around a rope, ready to pull, legs bent.

The sound of whistling penetrated Danoso's ears, and she began to feel nervous. What if it didn't work? What if she got everyone killed? Boone coughed quietly and she squinted up at him. He held up five fingers, and then returned his gaze to the path just in front of them. Danoso tightened her grip on the rope. She looked intently at Boone's fingers, silently counting to herself, calming herself down.

One of Boone's fingers went down, only four remaining.

What if she pulled the rope, and nothing happened? What if she pulled the rope, and Boonie came after them? There was no way Boone and her could win a fight against a man like Boonie.

Another of Boone's fingers dropped, now three remaining.

What if she made a mess of things? What if it wasn't Boonie? What if she didn't calculate right, or she pulled the rope too soon?

She caught the slight movement of another finger dropping. Two left.

What about Sawyer and Kate? Would they be fine on their own? What if they got caught, what would happen then? And what if one of them tripped? Danoso tried to grab hold of her nerves, the butterflies fluttering in her stomach. She felt her body begin to shake.

Boone leaned back a bit, putting down another finger. One left. Now or never.

The steps got closer, the whistling more pronounced. It was Boonie for sure. The tension slipped away from her body, all her nerves gone. She didn't even feel it, and the adrenaline was coursing through her veins. Her mind cleared. The crunching got closer and closer, and all Danoso focus on was Boone. It was do or die.

"NOW!" Boone yelled. He and Danoso yanked the rope simultaneously. For a split second, Boonie froze.

"Whose out 'ere?" he called. Danoso and Boone pulled harder on the ropes. Something crashed hard, near them.

Nothing happened.

--------------------------

"Guess its just you an' me Freckles," Sawyer stated quietly.

"Guess so," Kate answered aloof.

"What's happening up in that big ole' pimple on your neck?" he asked, sensing Kate's distance.

"Do you think she'll be okay? They'll be okay?"

Sawyer sigh. And so it begins. "I'm betting she'll be fine. She's got Boone with her, and she's a smart gal. She knows what she's doing."

"Doesn't this whole thing seem a little… sketchy to you?"

"You mean, more or less sketchy this whole, surviving a unsurvivable plane crash, living on a island, giant monsters, creepy others thing is? Look," Sawyer said, noticing a hint of distress on Kate's face in the moonlight. "Keep your mind off it. They'll be fine, they will not die. You hear me? They won't die. Just do your part, and make sure you don't get killed either… This should be good," he added. They both stopped, looking down below them. The perfect location. They removed the packs slowly from their backs, and set them down on the grass. They sat down themselves, getting comfortable. Kate placed herself so she could see over the cliff, overseeing the Other's lodgings.

"So…" Sawyer half-whispered, although no one other them themselves would be able to hear him. "Tell me a story," he requested. Kate rolled her eyes.

"After you," she said.

"Lady's first," Sawyer reminded, very gentlemanly.

"And here I thought chivalry was dead."

"Well, it was, but see, I revitalized it, and so now its back. So, its your turn."

Kate shook her head. This was going to be a long night.

----------------

Danoso looked over at Boone. Nothing was happening.

"Nothing's happening!" she shout-whispered.

"Whose that I 'ear there?" Boonie called out suspiciously. Boone held up his finger again, and Danoso clamped her mouth shut. Stupid mouth. Always talking without her brains permission. Both her and Boone slowly stepped forward, not sure what was going on.

Boonie took a step forward as well, and screamed. Danoso froze in the darkness, not able to see what was going on, but hearing every sickening sound. Boonie fell down the hole that her and Boone had created before, and landed with a crunch. The drop was a good 10 feet down, and he landed on his knees. He scream, the pain shooting up from his kneecaps, and through his body, and down to his toes.

"Boone…" Danoso said shakily. She turned on the small penlight in her pocket, deathly scared. She shined it at Boone, who nodded. Tossing it to Boone, she stayed behind as Boone shined it into the deep hole.

"Help! Get me outta here! Help!"

Danoso grimaced and turned away, breathing hard. Maybe she couldn't do this. She heard Boone shuffling around, scraping, and a loud thump. Danoso stifled a sob, trying to calm down. She could just imagine Boone dragging the large sheet of metal over the top of the hole, weighing it down with a heavy rock. Trapping Boonie down there forever. She involuntarily hiccupped. She could still hear Boonie yelling faintly, pleading for help, confused. As much misery as he had caused her, she couldn't help but feel bad.

Boone came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her shoulder, turning her around. Danoso buried her head in his shirt, and he rubbed her back soothingly.

"It had to be done," he whispered, "don't cry."

"I'm not crying," Danoso returned, shaking. Try as she could, she couldn't cry for the man in the hole. It wasn't the fact that she was leaving Boonie to die; it was that she was leaving a human being to die. She pressed deeper into Boone's arms, comforted by his warmth, the security he provided.

Boone's head rested on hers, and his arms were wrapped tight around her. He could feel her body shaking under his arms. "You going to be okay?" he whispered finally.

Danoso nodded, and took a deep breath. Boonie had stopped shouting; apparently accepting whatever fate was to befall him.

"Just try not to think about it." Boone gave Danoso a final hug and moved off, putting on his disguise. He slapped on a eye patch, tied a handkerchief around his face, up to his nose, and pulled on a oversized sweater. "How do I look?" he asked.

"Fine," Danoso said, suppressing a giggle. Boone looked slightly comic, but never the less, much like Boonie.

"Are you going to come with me?" he asked.

"Yeah, but I'm not going to go in with you. You're going to have to find Jack by yourself, and convince everyone that you're Boonie, by yourself." The deeper they got into her plan, the harder it was to believe that this was going to work.

"I'll be able to do it, don't worry," he said, walking the direction Boonie had be going.

"Um… Boone, he has an accent," Danoso remembered suddenly.

"I kno' he has a accent, who do ya think I am?" Boone asked, mimicking Boonies accent fluidly. "I've been practicing," Boone explained with a wink. Danoso smiled. This might work after all.

-------------------------

_The trick is not to look obvious, _Boone reminded himself, as he knocked firmly on the large, solid metal door. Danoso was hiding in the bushes 20 yards away, watching him, hoping just like he was, that he'd pass off as Boonie. The door opened up slowly, and a chubby short man with a mullet opened it.

"What'd you be wanting this late?" he asked, leaning against the frame of the door, not opening it fully.

"It matter what I want? Dun you kno' who I am?" Boone glared at the man, hoping he would buy it. The man glared back, and then squinted his eyes. Boone started to slightly sweat, hoping the guy didn't know Boonie personally.

"Are you that Boonie boy? The one whose got the doc in the Fade?" the short man coughed out, pounding his chest with his fist.

"The Fade, yeh. That's where he's at." Boone continued to glare, abruptly aware of his arms, wondering if they appeared natural.

"Wait just a minute there sonny, how'd you know he's in there? Just went in not four hours ago."

Boone grabbed his shirt, slamming him against the wall. "Dun ya dare call me sonny ever again chubs, or I'll tear yur head off. Ran into a friend of mine, told me where Jack is. Now, let me in." Boone released his shirt, the mans face pale white.

"How'd you know his name?" he asked, frightened. He'd heard Boonie had a temper, but Beng told him not to let anyone see the doc unless they had authorization from him.

"I kno his name, 'cause I kno his name. Got a problem?" Boone took what he hoped was a threatening step.

"Okay, okay," the man said. "Just be quick, or Beng'll have my throat." He moved aside, allowing Boone to pass. He looked around quickly, and then closed the door, locking it.

Boone looked in awe around the corridor, its smooth rock walls, and the lights that were strung at regular intervals along the roof. The corridor seemed to go on forever, with other passages peeling off on either side.

"Whater you waiting for?" the short man asked grumpily.

"Sorry. Thought ya'd take me to 'em." The man snorted and Boone turned around and started walking down the hall. He closed his eyes. There was no way he was going to find Jack in this maze. He kept walking, passing a couple of led offs. He stopped, looking left and then right. Deciding that the left one looked darker, damper, and scarier, he turned into it.

"Hey!" Boone backpedaled, afraid he'd blown his cover.

"Where'd you think you was going?" the chubby man yelled angry. Boone looked at his face, and watched his chubby double chin jiggle as he talked, Boone only hearing noises, not words. He snapped out of it, just to hear, "the Fade's that way you stupid pritze!" The guy pointed the right passage Boone had dismissed. He stopped suddenly, as if realizing he'd just called the legendary Boonie a pritze.

"Now get going!" he squeaked, shuffling back to his spot on a chair by the door. Boone shot a dirty look his way, and then proceeded down the hallway, thankful when he saw only one door at the end.

The door was wooden, the wood used to make it rotting slowly way because of wet, cold conditions. Boone felt himself slightly shivering, as he got closer to it. It had a small window at his heads height, a piece of wood blocking it so that no one could see in… _or out_, Boone thought. He grasp the old fashioned handle nervously, hoping it would be unlocked. He pulled it down, and the rust made a slight squeak. It clicked when it got to the bottom, and Boone took a breath.

_Please let Jack be in here,_ he thought. He pulled it towards himself, and it swung open. He stepped inside, instantly breathing in the odors of the room.

"Hello?" he called out timidly. It was too dark to see anything but two big outlines of boxes so soon after coming out of a brightly lit hallway.

"I'm not taking anything, so give up already."

There was one other person in there with Boone. He shut the door behind him, locking it automatically.

His eyes adjusted more to the light, and he saw an outline of a body lying inside one of the cells. "Jack, that you?" he asked.

The body sat up, an arm on knee. "Who is that?"

"It's um… is that you Jack?"

"Yeah, it's Jack." Boone breathed a sigh of relief. Jack got up slowly, breathing carefully. He walked over as far as he could and looked closely at Boone's figure. "Who are you?"

"I'm the one who's going to get you out of here," Boone said happily. His eyes were as adjusted as they could get, a thick orange mist still surrounding everything. Boone walked around the outside of the cell, looking for the entrance.

"Boone?" Jack asked, following Boone from the inside. Boone stopped when he got to the entrance. It was a couple simple bolts, unreachable from the inside.

"Yeah?" Boone asked, grinning. He unbolted the door, and opened it. Jack walked out, his grin visible even through the orange mist.

"You have no idea how happy I am to see you… though I do wonder how you got in here in the first place," Jack said, giving Boone a one handed hug. "Watch out for my side," he cautioned.

"You've got a hell of a kid Jack."

"Who…" Jack remembered being out in the rain, hearing Danoso's voice. "Danoso?" he asked.

"Yeah, she's a smart one." Boone started looking around for rope, or anything he could use.

"How is she?" Jack inquired, his face softening. "How is everyone?"

"They'll be better once you're back with them."

"I can't leave though."

Boone stopped what he was doing and looked at Jack. "Why?"

"When they come in here, and find me gone, they're going to come after everyone else. Everyone on the beach, the caves. I wouldn't be surprised if they killed us all, or worse. And how are we supposed to get out of here? I appreciate you coming to spring me, but I can't leave."

"Ahh, see, that's what we're counting on." Jack stared a Boone like he was a madman. "That kid of yours, she's got it all planned out. We'll be _really _screwed if they didn't come after us."

Jack tried to read Boones face, tell if he was serious. "You're kidding me, right?"

"Nope. Just, don't ask, cause it's complicated." Boone found a length of rope coiled up on the ground. He picked it up, surprised that it wasn't soaked.

"And how are we going to get out of here." Jack asked skeptically.

"Like this," Boone said, holding up the rope. Jack shook his head. He knew what was coming.

--------------------------

Glen heard the opening of the door far off down the hallway. That Boonie guy was finally done. He snickered to himself, wondering what Boonie had done to the poor doc. He saw Boonie come out of the hallway, and turned around to open the door for him. The sooner he was out, the better. He turned around, and he noticed that Boonie had someone with him. It was the doc.

"Hey!" Boonie looked up at him with a emotionless face, the handkerchief and the eye patch covering most of his facial features.

"He's not supposed to come out until he takes the stuff. Whater you doing?" Boonie kept walking towards him, and the forgotten open door. Glen relaxed a little when he saw the docs hands tied.

"Wait a minute…" realization dawned on Glen. "You're not…"

"Ding ding ding," Boone said, releasing Jack and hitting Glen in the face as hard as he could. Glen fell to the floor, out cold, while Boone shook his hand out.

"Here," Jack said, turning around. Boone quickly untied him, and instead tied up Glen's hands, while Jack tied his feet. Boone wrapped a piece of cloth around his mouth, hopping they would have time to escape. No such luck.

A loud, boisterous alarm began ringing, announcing the island of their presence.

"Sorry buddy," he muttered to Glen, and then ran outside, following Jack.

"I didn't do it!" Danoso jumped up as soon as the alarm started ringing, talking to no one unparticular.

"Danoso?'

She turned around excitedly.

"Jack!" she shouted, running to him. "Thank God you're okay," she said, hugging him tightly.

"Watch the ribs," he warned her, pain shooting through his side. She backed off slightly, still holding on.

"I missed you," she said smiling.

"I missed you too, but-"

"Um, we kind of got to go…" Boone stood awkwardly to the side, eyeing movements from inside the door.

"Right, gotta go. Got it." Danoso let go of Jack.

"Where are we going?" Jack asked, trying his best to keep up with Boone and Danoso as they took off.

"You are going to the beach. Me and Boone on the other hand, have…"

"- Other obligations to fill." Boone ended.

------------------------------

"Claire!" Charlie called out. He had to tell someone about the folder. It was eating him up inside. "Claire! Guess what we found!"

"Dude, are you sure?" Hurley asked, lagging behind.

"We can trust her. Just until Jack gets back," Charlie reassured, walking up to Claire, the folder in hand.

"What is it Charlie?" Claire asked delicately. She took a deep breath in.

"You okay?" Charlie asked, noticing her breathing was a bit out of whack.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'll be fine. What were you going to tell me?" Claire stood up, as if to prove her point.

"Dude…" Hurley muttered, looking down at Claire's pants. Charlie looked over at him, then noticed him staring.

"Hurley," Charlie said, hitting him in the side. "Don't be rude."

"No, dude, I mean, look." Hurley pointed at Claire's pants. They were wet, a puddle of water where Claire had been sitting.

"Claire…um…" Charlie muttered, sure that Claire was too old to wet herself.

"What…" Claire looked down. "Oh, my, God. No, no, no."

"Wait, no. Not oh my God. That's normal. Isn't it? Hurley, that's normal right?" Hurley just stared. "Claire? That's normal, right? Nothing to worry about, we won't tell, right Hurley?"

Hurley nodded stupidly, still staring.

"Charlie, I didn't wet myself… it's," she looked up at Charlie, scared. "It's my baby."

TBC…

**-LOST-**

**Cohen101**


	10. 10 Birth

**Thanks for the reviews :P **

**Baudelaire7 – as always. I love you:P Ohhhhooo, that's not the end of the plan, not even close ;) Yes…this story is kind of borderline strange. Slowly it crosses over. **

**msmith4825 – Yay! Someone got my OC reference :P I'm not really a Shooner as much as a "kill-Shannon-instead-of-Boone-er" **

**Charmgirl – Yay! New reviewers… I always wonder how many people read this story, in reality. **

**This is quite a non-action-really chapter, just Claire having her baby. I've never had a baby, geez, I'm only 14, and I hope I dun have one for another ten years. But I did research it a lot, so I hope I got everything right :P **

**Disclaimer : I don't own LOST, thought if I did, Anna Lucia would DIE! I just really don't like her…**

**Enjoy!**

**P.S. R&R! If you dun know how, it's on the bottom of the page, and just click go! Plz?**

**10.10 Birth**

"Charlie, Charlie, its my baby," Claire said, near tears. She couldn't have her baby on this godforsaken island! What if there was something wrong with him? What if it needed some special medication? What if it died, or she couldn't get it out right? She couldn't have the baby, not here! He breath began to quicken, her body beginning to quiver. It couldn't be happening. _This _couldn't be happening. He stomach contracted, and she took a sharp breath in.

"Claire, Claire, Claire," Charlie repeated her name until she finally snapped out of wherever she'd gone and looked up at him. "What do you mean, you're having a baby?"

"My baby, it's coming. Charlie, I can't do this!" she grabbed his hand and squeezed it tightly, trying to find reassurance.

"Why are you having a baby?" Charlie asked, his brain not computing. Claire was having a baby?

"Charlie, I'm pregnant! I'm having my baby," Claire said desperately. This wasn't helping at all.

"Oh, right… OH! Oh my God! You're having a baby!" Charlie looked at her bulging stomach, and down to the ground with the "water" was dripping. He finally understood. She was having a baby. On the island. No hospital around her.

"Charlie, help me! I can't do this!" Claire looked at Charlie, begging for his help. She needed him, she needed to lean against him. He always made her feel safe, and she needed in now more then ever.

"Claire," Charlie pushed her gently down so that she was sitting on the ground, "we can do this. You can do this. We just need some blankets, towels, water, scissors to cut that thingy…"

"I need Jack," Claire said suddenly.

_Jack would be nice,_ Charlie thought, but then remembered no one knew where he was. "We don't need Jack, we can do this on our own. It'll be easy." Jack was probably off in the forest far far away, not a chance in the world that he would be able to deliver Claire's baby. "We need what, some blankets and cold water. Scissors to cut the thingy. And it's supposed to cry when the head pops out, right?"

Claire looked into Charlie's eyes. He had no idea what he was doing. Charlie reached the same conclusion within seconds.

"We need Jack," he sigh.

"But dude, Jack's-"

"Only a few minutes away. Hurley, stay here with Claire, and I'll be right back with Jack on my heels," Charlie quickly interrupted, praying for a miracle. There was no harm telling a little white lie, was there?

"Dude…"

Charlie bolted before Hurley could protest. How the hell was he going to find Jack?

Hurley looked helplessly after Charlie. He was no good with this kind of stuff. He looked at Claire who stared at him. With those big, scared eyes. He had to say something. Anything. She looked like she was going to cry.

"So… Looks like your going to have a baby…"

------------------------------

"JACK!" Charlie yelled, feeling his voice get hoarse. He was going to regret this in the morning.

"JACK!" he yelled again, jumping over a log just visible in the creepy pre-dawn light. What did he think he was doing, telling Claire that he would be able to get Jack for her? It was impossible. Doctors were never around when you needed them the most.

"JACK! GET THE BLOODY HELL OVER HERE!" he continued to shout and run, hoping against hope that someone would hear him, someone who actually knew how to deliver a baby.

"Watch out!"

He heard it, but didn't have time to resister the meaning in his brain. His legs caught underneath him on something, knocking out his breath, his arm smacking into something solid, a quiet crack sounding out. He flew forward, face planting on a fallen log. He somersaulted once, and landed hard on his back, arms and legs twisted randomly.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!"

"What the bloody hell just happened?" Charlie muttered to himself.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!" Danoso whined, holding her face. Charlie's elbow had connected with her eyeball, as well as her nose. They were both on fire, blood coming out of her nose, her eye pressed shut.

"Charlie?"

Charlie moved his head, looking up to find Boone.

"Are you okay?" he asked, Jack attending to Danoso.

"I think so…" Charlie tried moving his fingers, then his arms, then his toes and his legs. "Nothing seems broken, I think I'll be good… who'd I run into again?"

Boone extended his hand, Charlie grabbing onto it firmly. "You pulverized Danoso. Poor kid, I think you broke something." The both looked to where Jack was trying to help Danoso from her position on the ground.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow," Danoso kept repeating, her head tilted back and her fingers pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Just do that and you should be fine," Jack reassured, almost laughing.

"Fanks, I'w keep fat in miwd," Danoso answered, her head tilted back as far as it could go.

"Oh, wow. I'm sorry," Charlie said, suddenly feeling guilty.

"Fhat's oh-kay." Danoso smiled awkwardly. Jack took the edge of his shirt and wiped some blood away from her face.

"It should stop soon," he said, turning to Charlie. "So why were you running through the forest to find me?" he asked.

"Right, um, Jack, I, uh…" Charlie suddenly felt his throat closing up for some reason. He was curious to where Jack had been. His face was all dirty and scuffed up, and he looked worn out.

"I think Claire's having her baby," he choked out.

"Fhat's not goof," Danoso said, standing up, continuing to pinch her nose.

"Where is she? Is she having contractions? How far apart are they? Has her water broken yet? Do you know how much her v-"

"Jack, stop right there. I'm not a bloody doctor. Her pants were all wet, and she told me that she was having her baby. I ran to find you. I have not bloody idea what I'm doing, but I can show you where she is." Charlie pointed the way he came, and Jack started off towards it as fast as he could.

"Boone, could you get me hot water and some towels, and bring them to where Claire is?"

"But…" Boone looked at Danoso. Everything was screwed up. What about the Others?

"Go," Danoso said with a nod, and started following Jack and Charlie, her nosebleed subsiding slowly. Boone took off, running as fast as he could.

--------------------------

It was surprising how fit one could get running through the jungle at top speed 10 times a day. Boone jumped over rocks and tree roots instinctively now, thinking he might try a couple of inner-city competitions once, if ever, he got home. He neared the beach camp, the dots of people getting more and more frequent. Some who where up to date with the news shot him surprised and curious looks as he passed. He spotted Shannon coming up.

"Hey Shan, Bye Shan," he breathed, passing her quickly.

"Hey," Shannon raised her head quickly to show that she was listening and dropped it again. She was too angry with Boone to talk to anyone. She snapped her head up almost instantly. Boone?

Boone slid to a stop, in front of Sawyers tent, almost wiping out on the sand. He ran inside and dropped to his knees. He thrashed around, looking for anything that Jack had asked him to get. A towel, Scissor, Hot water, and… was there anything else? He grabbed random items and threw them into a pile he was making.

"Boone?" Shannon stuck her head inside the tent. "Boone!" she yelled, ready to start up a rant.

"Shannon, go get me some hot water in this," he said, ignoring her tone and throwing a plastic pot at her.

She caught it stunned. He didn't even look at her. "No! You go get it you lazy bum! Why do you think I would get it for you anyways? Learn to do things yourself! Don't stop now!" she threw the pot back at Boone and it hit him in the head.

"Shannon!" he shouted, grabbing the pot and walking up to her. "I know you're mad at me, but please, not now? Claire's having her baby, and I need you to go and fill this up with hot water for Jack." He left her and picked up the various items he'd piled in the middle, shoving them unceremonious into a bag lying on the ground.

"Claire's baby? You guys found Jack?" Shannon asked, standing in the same spot.

"GO!" Boone yelled, and she scampered off. There was time for sibling battle later. Right now he had to get to Jack.

----------------------

"Claire, you have to breathe, okay? How far apart are you're contractions? I need you to lay back," Jack instructed, pushing her onto her back. He signaled to Charlie.

"What?" Charlie asked, stopping his fidgeting for the time being. Claire was having a baby. Claire was having a baby. Claire was having-

"…so I need you to support her back… Charlie!" Jack shouted. Charlie shook his head and sat behind Claire. Jack leaned Claire against Charlie, and Charlie held her shoulders. Claire reached up for his hand and he gave it willingly. She squeezed it tightly.

"Claire, did your water break while you were sitting down, or when you stood up?"

"Uh, when I stood up, but I didn't feel anything." Charlie nodded behind her.

"How close together are your contractions?" Jack asked. Danoso stood to the side, watching the scene. She'd never seen a baby be born before.

"I don't know, uh, maybe, maybe, oh!" Claire squeezed Charlie's hand.

"What's happening, are you okay?" Charlie looked at Jack. "What's happening?"

"She's having a contraction." He looked down at his watch, and silence surrounded the four of them. Hurley coughed.

Charlie felt the pressure relieve on his hand. "I think it's done," he said quietly, and Claire nodded tiredly.

"65 seconds. How long have you been having the contractions for?" Jack asked stone-faced. He was in doctor mode now.

Claire looked down.

"How long Claire?" Jack repeated.

"A little after Boone left with Danoso," Claire said shyly. She was so stupid.

"First time or second time?" Danoso asked, glad she could help with something.

"Um…"

"Was it still light out?"

Claire thought back. "Yeah, it was light out."

Danoso quickly calculated in her head. "Eleven hours. It's been about eleven hours since we left. The first time."

"Are the contractions getting stronger?" Jack asked.

"Yes, they-" Claire took another breath and squeezed Charlie's hand again.

"It's happening again!" he shouted. "This is normal, right?" he asked. Danoso looked at him and shook her head. "What?" he asked rhetorically. Claire lightened her grip on his hand. "I think she's done." He looked at Jack.

"60 seconds. And two and a half minutes apart. Claire, how much have you dilated?"

Claire looked blankly at him.

"How much has your… spread?" Jack asked., his cheeks reddening. _No time to be shy,_ he reminded himself.

"I, don't know…"

Jack took a breath. Nurses were supposed to do this kind of stuff, not male spinal surgeons.

--------------------------

"How's it going?" Boone asked breathlessly. He ran as fast as he could with a pot full of boiled hot water through the woods after convincing Shannon that she didn't have to come along, that he would be fine, and that they didn't need her help.

"You just missed the best part," Danoso said sarcastically, disgusted.

"Dude… that was so not cool." Hurley wiped his chin, and Boone looked repulsively at him.

"Did you just…hurl?" he asked.

"Oh, grow up you two. I'm a doctor." Jack's ears were tinged with red, and he was semi-blushing.

Boone looked over at Claire, who was gasping for breath, Charlie reassuring her with a shaky, "Breathe, breathe, breathe, breathe, I'm doing it right? Right? Okay," once he received a nod from Jack. "Breathe, breathe…"

"What happened?" Boone asked, setting down the items he'd collected from Sawyer tent on the ground beside Jack.

"You really don't want to know," Danoso muttered, walking in a circle and then taking a seat on the grass.

Jack shook his head and ignored her. "Claire, don't over exuberate yourself. Just push nice, slow, and controlled, okay?" Claire nodded shakily and grasped Charlie's hand again. Charlie set off in another chorus of "Breathes."

"Claire," Jack started. "I think- I think I can see the head." He smiled, looking up at Claire. Claire broke into a smile mixed with a sobbing laugh. She felt another contraction, and held Charlie's hand harder.

"Can you see him? Can you?" he asked excitedly. Jack ignored him, focused on delivering the baby without any hitch.

"Danoso, can you see him?" Danoso looked up alarmed.

"I'm all the way over here, how in the world would I be able to see him?" Danoso asked.

"Charlie-" Claire gasped, and Charlie resumed his "Breathes."

"Just a couple more Claire, you're almost there," Jack encouraged, and Claire pushed. He put his hands underneath the blanket flap they'd created over her knees. "I can feel the head Claire, your almost there." Despite himself, Jack was getting excited. Claire was finally having her baby.

Claire pushed harder, and Charlie felt it on his hand. He winced slightly; sure she would break something sooner or later.

"Okay, Claire, the shoulders are out," Jack said, presumably supporting however much was out of Claire's body. "It should be easier now, the hardest parts done." Jack smiled up at the two of them, Claire and Charlie.

"Can you see him?" Charlie asked again, a grin plastered on his face. Claire suddenly dug her nails into his hand.

"Almost there…" Jack whispered, and with one final push, the tiny infant came out of Claire's body, supported by Jack's hands. Jack tenderly cut the umbilical cord, and tied both ends off. Claire struggled to look over her legs to see what Jack was doing, but she was too tired, and gave up, leaning on Charlie.

"What is it?" she asked in a small voice.

"It's a boy," Jack said with a smile, and Charlie grinned. Danoso got up and walking slowly over, followed by Boone and a reluctant Hurley.

"He's so cute," she commented with a borderline squeal.

"He looks like a prune," Hurley said in disgust. Danoso slapped him on the arm.

"Is he… okay? Why isn't he crying," Claire asked, close to crying herself.

"Give it a second." Jack waited. The truth was, he didn't know why the baby wasn't crying. Maybe he did something wrong… His heart started beating faster, and cold sweat formed on his forehead in an instance. What was wrong?

"Jack…" Charlie said, confused.

"Is he…" Danoso came closer, and took the baby from Jack's arms without thinking. It was tiny, and his head fit in her hand handsomely. The body was the size of a doll. Its eyes were swollen shut, and bits of things were hanging off of it, coating it in a sickly paste. Then he screamed, so suddenly and loudly that she almost dropped him.

"Jack!" she yelled, panicked. Her hands started shaking and Jack quickly took him away from her.

"Shhh," he said, trying to sooth the baby. "Here," he gave the baby to Claire, and she cried, Charlie behind her, grinning ear to ear.

"Oh my God…" Claire said, smiling, holding the baby close, but not squishing him. He balled up his fists, and screamed. "What a precious little thing you are," Claire cooed. Charlie extended his hand to the newborn. With a tiny finger, the baby took Charlie's finger, wrapping his whole fist around it. Claire looked up at Charlie and smiled, putting her head in-between his shoulder and neck, resting it there.

"Really loud, tiny thing, isn't it?" Boone said into Danoso's ear. Danoso tried to suppress a laugh but it turned into a snort.

"Jack? Jack!" Jack turned around to see who was calling him. Danoso, Boone and Hurley shook their heads simultaneously.

"I'm over here?" Jack yelled uncertainly into the woods.

Walt came out of the trees, and stooped, bending over, hands on his knees. "Jack! I finally found you. Where've you been?" he asked.

"Around, what is it?" Danoso answered quickly. The last thing they needed is for everyone to know what happened with Jack.

"Its, there are people. Coming here. There are people coming." He said breathlessly.

TBC…

**-LOST-**

**Cohen101**


	11. 11 Just Keep Breathing

**Hey, sorry for the long time no update thing, but… I've been loaded up with schoolwork, considering that December has not too many days, and the month just ended. Expect more updates over Christmas break :P**

**I replied with the reply button thingy, so hopefully you got it… I don't know where you receive them, or anything, so yeh… Thanks to those who reviewed. **

**Enjoy!**

**11.11 Just Keep Breathing**

Boone and Danoso looked at each other. They were out of time.

"I got to go," Danoso said, starting to run. She had to make it to the ship before the others, and she needed a head start. They would likely catch up to her before she got there, but she had to try. Boone grabbed the back of her shirt, preventing her from taking off.

"You're going to get hurt. Let me go instead," he pleaded. If anything happened to her, it would be all his fault.

"Boone!" Danoso pried his hand off her shirt. "No. You aren't fast enough. And if you got caught, they would probably kill you. I'm going." Boone shook his head, and started to protest.

"Boone, I'm going." She turned her attention to Walt. "Walt, how many of them were there?" she asked.

Walt looked up at her. "I don't know, a lot?" He looked at her strangely for a minute. Danoso shifted awkwardly. "Don't do it," he said flat toned.

Danoso looked at him. His eyes were slightly glazed, and he was staring straight at her. "What?"

"Don't do it," he repeated, and ran off into the woods. Danoso stared after him for a couple seconds.

"What?" she said, bewildered._ Don't do what? _

"Don't do what? What's happening?" Jack asked, looking from Boone to Danoso and back. "Where are you going?"

"I have to go," Danoso repeated, pushing Walt and his stupid warning out of her mind, looking back at Jack. If Boone told Jack, then they would both keep her from going, and she'd have no chance.

"Go where?" Jack asked, still confused. Danoso jogged past them, and into the trees, not looking back. It was up to her now.

"Be careful!" Boone shouted worriedly after her. She nodded, already out of sight. He had no doubt that she would try and be careful, but he knew she was going to get hurt, he could feel it. He could feel it in his blood.

"Where is she going?" Jack demanded. The baby started crying after his moment of silence, and Claire shushed it quietly.

"She's going…" Boone stared at the spot where she disappeared and mumbled under his breath. Jack waited for him to repeat what he said, and the baby stopped crying abruptly. In the silence, murmured voices begun to get louder, and the trees shook, trying to warn any people still unaware. The steps got closer, and Charlie stood up, blocking Claire protectively. Hurley backed away into a corner and they all waited, the sounds getting closer and closer.

"Who is that?" Hurley asked, beginning to sweat.

"That's them," whispered Boone, standing perfectly still.

The pre-dawn light got slightly stronger, and Jack could swear he saw a faded face out in the woods, coming closer.

-----------------------------------

"See anything yet Freckles?" Sawyer asked, leaning against a tree, yawning loudly. They'd been there for hours, and nothing had happened. The structure below them faded into the forest, and Sawyer wasn't even sure that they would see something, even if anything did happen.

"Nope…" Kate sigh, looking off into the distance. How much longer were they going to have to wait?

--------------------------------------------------

"Boone! What the hell's happening here?" Jack shouted, waving his hands. Boone ignored him, staring into the forest, waiting.

"You'll see," he whispered finally, and Jack shook his head.

"Where did Danoso go off to?" Jack asked, still probing Boone for answers.

"Wait one second," Boone said eerily, still staring. Jack followed his eyes, into the forest. The face he'd seen moving was coming closer, along with others beside him. They came to the edge of the trees and Charlie stepped protectively in front of Claire and the newborn baby. Hurley stood pale off in a corner, almost forgotten.

"What do you want?" Boone called out. Jack stayed quiet beside him.

"You've got something of ours that needs returning. Two, actually."

"I haven't got anything that's yours," Boone answered.

"What's yours is mine, what's mine is mine."

"I don't think it works that way, faggot."

"Watch us make it." Someone in front of them started moving, but Boone held up his hand.

"Wait!"

Jack looked at Boone, suspicious. "What are you doing," he whispered.

Boone ignored Jack. "I'll make you a deal."

The man in the forest paused for a beat. "I'm listening," he growled.

"That little kid. Danoso, right? I know where she went. I'll tell you were she went, but first you have to promise not to hurt us." Jack glared at Boone. He was going to sell Danoso out?

"What the hell are you doing!" Jack asked, almost shouting.

"First, tell us where the girl is," the man in the woods said, both him and Boone ignoring Jack.

"Boone! Don't do it!" Jack shouted, furious, stepping in front of Boone.

Boone looked away from Jack, feeling just the slight bit guilty. "You promise not to hurt us?" he asked.

"Boone! You can't do this!" Jack protested. He couldn't believe Boone was going to give Danoso away. She was just a kid!

"Yes, I promise already. Where is she?"

"Do you know where-"

Jack shoved Boone forcefully with both hands.

"What the hell? Why are you telling them!" Jack shouted, his ribs protesting the sudden movement.

"Shove off Jack!" Boone ramming into Jack with his shoulder. Jack fell to the ground, winded, shooting his hand out to break his fall. He landed on the ground, and felt his ribs explode. His chest stabbed in pain every time he tried to take a breath. He bit his lip, and squeezed his ribs, trying to control the pain.

"What the bloody hell was that man!" Charlie ran to Jacks side, kneeling. He helped Jack up into a sitting position. "Bloody about killed him!" he accused Boone.

Boone shrugged it off, trying not to look at Charlie's accusing stare, or feel Claire's eyes burn into his back.

"Do you know where the black ship is?" Boone asked the guy, over Jack's labored breath.

"The one over there?" he asked, pointing the way Danoso had ran.

"Yeah." Boone gave in and glanced at Charlie. He was still half-holding Jack, and they were both glaring at him. "She's heading there. She left twenty minutes ago." He could see Charlie shaking his head from the corner of his eye.

"What if I don't believe you?" the guy asked, and Boone's breath caught in his throat.

"Oh, common. I told you where she is. Now hold up your end. Leave us be."

The guy laughed. "We never agreed to nothing. But I think you've done most of the damage we were planning to do anyways." He nodded to Jack. Boone felt guilt burn through his chest, suddenly remembering that Jack had broken his ribs earlier.

"So are you going to go after her?" Boone asked after an awkward moment.

The guy looked at Boone closely, contemplating whether or not to trust him. "You two stay here, we'll go." He finally decided, moving off.

The majority of the people left, only two staying behind. They approached Boone menacingly, both snickering. As they came closer, Boone backed away, holding out his hands protectively, happy, at least, that they were going after him, not Jack or the baby.

---------------------------------------------

"We know you're in here muffin, come out wherever you are…"

Danoso whipped around, her heart starting to race. She knew she wouldn't have much time, but she wasn't ready.

----------------------------------------

"I know you're in here loser, cone out wherever you are…" 

_  
Danoso held her breath tight, and her big sister prowled around the crib that held baby Ryan, and checked under her bed. She prayed that Alison wouldn't be able to find her. _

"_I've got a present for you…" Alison taunted, tucking her black dyed hair behind her ear. Danoso wasn't fooled for a second. Day after day she was forced to be babysat by her "big" sister. Day after day, she tried to hide from her, and her twisted games. Day after day, she was found, forced to participate. _

"_I know where you are…" Alison squealed, and Danoso sucked in her breath more. Maybe if she thought hard enough, she would be invisible. She willed herself to blend in with her clothes, backing up. An unseen box tripped her from behind, and she grabbed some jeans, trying to keep herself from falling. The jeans slipped off the hangers they were draped on, and she fell into the box, piles of clothes landing on her, obscuring her body. _

"_You're in the closet," Alison sang sappily. Danoso stayed still, her head resting on something soft in the box, covered from the top with clothes. She tried to remember what a box was doing in the closet her and her sister shared. _

_She heard the closet door open, and a disappointed sigh. The closet door shut, and Alison took her searching and singing elsewhere. _

_Danoso stayed unmoving in the box until her back began to get sore. She sifted, and tried to grab the edge of the box, attempting to pull herself up. The weight of the clothes that had fallen on her, and the position of her body, Danoso couldn't get up. She kicked her legs, and wiggled her arms, trying hard to escape the box. _

_The fabric began suffocating her, and Ryan cried faintly in the distance. _

"_Alison?" Danoso cried, denim falling into her mouth. _

"_ALISON!" she screamed, trashing her legs and arms as hard as she could. Her leg came in contact with a hard metal object, and something came crushing down on her shin. She screamed, pain not something someone so young could handle well. _

"_ALISON!" She yelled again, crying into the fabric. She felt something move against her cheek, and scraping along the box. Her shin throbbed, and she could feel her toes. _

_A light brush against her cheek, and Danoso screamed for all she was worth. The darkness made her eyes useless, the scratching frightening her ears. Random movements from the box sent shivers down her spine, and her leg was eating up her flesh, tearing it out slowly, bit by bit. _

_By the time her sister found her, an hour later, Danoso was in hysteria. She needed a cast and crutches for three months. _

_-_----------------------------------------------

The door handle turned, and opened slowly.

"Muffin, where are you?" a voice taunted.

"In here bozo!" she shouted, making a split second decision. She would have to light the fuse while she was still in the ship. Which wouldn't be good for her bodies' well being.

"So the brownie was telling the truth after all," the voice muttered. The door opened fully, and Danoso hid the matchbox behind her back. "Hello muffins, long time no see."

"Craig," Danoso acknowledged, nodding her head. They stared each other down for a few seconds.

"I don't doubt you know what we're doing here."

"You're right. I do know. Just answer me this. How many people do you have with you?"

If Craig found the question odd, he didn't show it. "As many as we need," he answered.

"Don't underestimate me," Danoso warned.

"I know what you're made of… I've brought more then enough people to handle this. You're going to come with us, so we can give you the antibodies. You don't have much time." He waited for her. "So are you going to come quietly or what?" he asked.

"I dunno," Danoso said, cocking her head to one side. She fiddled with the matches behind her back, hoping that she could light one before they noticed the movements. She had no idea why she needed to take antibodies, or whatever they were called. "I wouldn't want to disappoint my friends," she said, smiling coyly, attempting to stall.

"On that topic," Craig started, attempting to get a rise. "You friend, the one that looks like Boonie? Sold you out like that." He smiled wide, snapping his fingers.

Danoso concentrated on the match, finally getting it lit. "Ever wondered if that's what I wanted him to do?" she asked, pulling out the match from behind her back.

Craig's face was blank. "But the doctor-"

"Has no idea what's going on," Danoso finished. "It's your turn to be in the hole Craig." She flung the match at him, and dove under a crate, covering her top with a wet blanket. She covered her head, hoping that she would be protected.

Craig watched the match stupidly, following it with his eyes through the air. "I'm supposed to be scared of a tiny match?"

"Uh…" Craig looked back at one of his worried minions. "Craig…" he motioned around the room, and for the first time, Craig realized that they were standing among a ring of long black sticks.

"Is that...-"

------------------------

"Look!" Kate shouted, pointing into the distance. Along the horizons edge, there was a big black mushroom cloud forming from the canopies of trees.

"There's sumthing I ain't seen in a while…" Sawyer mumbled. They stared at it for a few moments.

The earth trembled, and Kate covered her ears as a thunderous bellow of sound came hurling their way.

"What the hell!" Sawyer shouted, his ears popping.

"Danoso…" Kate whispered, taking off into the jungle.

"Kate!" Sawyer shouted, torn between following her and doing what they were appointed to do. Deciding to compromise, he took both their knapsacks and chucked them roughly off the edge. He started running after Kate, another, less earth-shattering roar signaling the dynamites explosions.

"Kate!" Damn womanly emotions. They were going to kill him someday.

"Captain, look!"

Captain Larry looked over to where his first mate was pointing. "Well I'll be damned…"

Boone fell onto the ground, his lip bleeding hard, his eye swollen shut. Why was it that he was the one that always got hurt?

"Had enough?"

Boone groaned, lifting himself up to his knees. "Not even close," he muttered, wiping the blood off his face with the back of his hand. He looked over to where Charlie and Jack were watching him, Jack taking deep, controlled breaths.

"Well-" he got cut off, a deafening echo of power bouncing from the trees.

"What the…"

Boone froze. He looked up; spotting the thick black cloud that had formed over the trees.

"Danoso…" he whispered, jumping up, delivering a one-two punch, knocking out their guards. He took off running, just as a second explosion hit him from the side.

--------------------------------

"DANOSO!" Boone shouted, jumping over blazing debris, his vision clouded not only by the smoke from the fires, but also by his swollen eye. "Where are you kid!" he yelled, becoming more frantic by the moment.

"Boone…"

Boone stopped.

"Where are you kiddo?" he shouted, attempting to get rid of the smoke by waving his hands. It was happening. She said that she wouldn't get hurt, and now she was trapped somewhere, and there was nothing he could do.

"Where ARE you?" he yelled desperately.

-------------------

Danoso thumped against the wood covering her frantically. She was lucky enough that the crate she hid under had dirt inclined slightly, the makeshift shelter failing miserable. She could feel blood all over her face, and her leg was crushed under something. She realized with a shock that she couldn't feel the toes on that foot. She was worried that she'd run out of oxygen before Boone would be able to find her.

"Boone!" She yelled as loud as she could, coughing immediately afterwards, inhaling dust into her lungs. "Boone! Help!" She doubted that Boone would be able to hear her. She took a deep breath and tried not to panic. The air was getting tighter, harder to breathe in.

"Boone!" She shouted, weaker then the last time. Her lungs strained to find oxygen in the air she was breathing, and her breath shuddered, slowly shutting down.

"Boone…" she pleaded, her voice quiet even to her. Her eyes began to droop, and her fingers and toes beginning to tingle. She thumped against the wood half-heartedly, giving it one last shot.

------------------

Boone ran to the sound of thumping. He stopped, trying to get its location clearer in his mind. A light thump, then nothing.

"Danoso!" he yelled, panicking. _Where was she?_

-----------------------

Danoso's eyes fluttered open desperately. She needed to fight it.

After a couple seconds of hopeless battling, she took a deep breath and gave in, closing her eyes.

TBC…

**-LOST-**

**Cohen101**

**A/N: I really need to know from you people how old you think Danoso is. It's EXTREMMLY important. It'll determine the direction that the story'll go, so please! I really need to know. **


	12. 12 Patience

**A/N: Merry Christmas to all, and to all a Good Year! The next chapter should be up in like, a week, and tell me what you think about this one. I hope all the italics make sense, and thank you ALL for reviewing! Glad you like last chapter. **

**A/N2: I just found out that Liam's daughters name is Megan, so I put that in. And I just realize… There was something very important in chapter 10 that no one commented on, which is strange, considering how big it was… Lol, maybe it was only big to me. Thanks to all that reviewed! Hope you got your reply! **

**12.12 Patience **

"_Heart breaking news reaches us today as we learn that Oceanic Flight 815, from Sydney to LA has been confirmed missing during its fly over the Atlantic Ocean. It left Sydney airport September 22, and has not been heard from since. Search Parties are doing their best to find the missing plane, and it's too soon to say anything about the fate of the boarded passengers…."_

_--------------------------_

"_The manifest of the plane includes, Charlie Pace, a bass' player in the band Drive Shaft, Kate Ryan Austin, a convicted felon who was being accompanied by a USA Marshal aboard the flight, Jack Shepard, a renown spinal surgeon in the LA area, the multi-million dollar lottery winner, Hugo Reyes…"_

_-------------------------_

"…_The coast guards have now joined the FYISeach in hopes of detecting and recovering the plane, but outlook seems bleak at most…"_

------------------------------

"_Search Parties are slowly giving up hope in the search to find the missing peoples from the plane crash Oceanic Flight 815…"_

_--------------------------- _

"_It's been a month now since Oceanic Flight 815 crashed. Experts say that even if the passengers did survive, there would be no hopes of survival for this long. The search has been brought to a halt, and my prayers go to those who were involved in this tragic…."_

_She watched as the women in the room turned off the TV and sniff. She picked up a framed picture, one of a smiling young child and its father, and whispered, "Christian, what have you done?" Tears fell on the photograph, trickling down the frozen faces, making it seem like the photograph itself was crying. _

_---------------------------_

Danoso cracked open an eye weakly. Her vision was bleary, and her leg throbbed painfully in rhythm with her heart. Was she in heaven?

"Hey kiddo," a voice said softly, a blur moving into her line of vision.

A terrible weakness came over her, and she closed her eyes, unable to keep them open.

_---------------------------_

"_Oceanic Airlines has closed down, freezing all of its flights. It will not resume business until the passengers of Oceanic Flight 815 are found. If you want a detailed manifest, and more details, visit our website at www…."_

"_Alexandra, where are you?" _

"_I'm in here Roy…"_

"_What are you doing?" _

"_Watching the news…" the TV flicked off, and Alexandra sighs. Alexandra looked at a picture frame, and she walked over and looked at it as well. There were two people in it, one, a younger Alexandra, and the other a young boy with sandy hair. _She_ could remember him from somewhere, the familiarity striking, although to whom?_

_Roy walked in, right as the TV went off. "Are you watching that Oceanic Flight thingy? He's dead Alexandra, I'm sorry but he is. James is dead." _She _looked at the two puzzled. Couldn't they see her?_

_-----------------------_

"_If you have any information at all in regards to Oceanic Flight 815, call the number indicated. A cash reward will be awarded to the provider of any information that leads to the recovery of the plane…"_

_Sabrina threw down the paper in frustration. "What has she done to you Boone?" she said out loud, the sound echoing through the empty house. Sabrina gave her no sign of acknowledgement. What was happening to her?_

_--------------------------_

This time Danoso awoke to the feeling of cold water trickling down her throat and neck. She felt her nose twitch, and half-opened both her eyes, her vision still blurry.

"Hey, how you doing?" Danoso was having trouble placing the voice, not sure where she'd been and what had just happened.

"Can you hear me?" Danoso wanted to nod, to say yes, but something kept her from doing it. She tried focusing her eyes, but all she could see was a blob of a head.

"Hey, kid, it's Sawyer. Answer me, please?"

Danoso rolled her head out of his hands, and landed on a pillow. This alone seemed to be real.

"You okay kid?" Sawyer asked worriedly. Her face was all pale, and her leg was a yellowish-blue-red lump of grossness. "T?" he asked, pulling her hair away from her face.

She looked up at him, her eyes slightly hazed. He sat down beside her, and her eyes followed his head, her face scrunched up as though trying to place it. He reached for her hand and held it tightly. "Are you going to be okay?" he asked worriedly, stroking her hair. He was worried.

"James…" she mumbled. Sawyer let go of her hand immediately.

"What did you say?" he asked roughly. He looked down at her, and realized that she'd already lost consciousness.

"Is she okay?"

Sawyer jumped at the question, and whirled around.

"Whoa…" Jack looked at him strangely. "What happened?"

"You'd like to know, wouldn't you Jackass," Sawyer retorted, still thinking about why she'd call him James. Maybe she was just remembering some other person, perhaps from her childhood.

Jack shook his head. He thought that him and Sawyer had been fine since he'd gotten back, but he was wrong. It was the same old Sawyer.

"She woke up," Sawyer answered, realizing that he was being a little too touchy.

"Did she say anything?" Jack asked, propping Danoso's head up slightly.

Sawyer shook his head. "Nope," he lied. He looked at her leg apprehensively. "It supposed to be like that?" he asked, nodding to her leg.

Jack sigh, shaking his head. "She has a contusion, and probably a couple torn ligaments, and I'm going to have to sew it up soon and I can't do anything without her being awake. Maybe if we were in a hospital…" he trailed off, knowing that a hospital was slowly becoming something of a luxury only present in dreams.

They both looked at Danoso.

"Damn…" Sawyer mumbled.

A moment of silence passed when Danoso snapped open her eyes. Her pupils were unnaturally large, and she froze for a second, before bolting upright and throwing up stomach acid. Jack and Sawyer rushed to her side instantly.

"Are you okay?" Sawyer asked, rubbing her back as she hurled once again.

"How do you feel?" Jack asked, grabbing a cloth and placing it on her lap. She gasped for a breath, and started coughing, shaking uncontrollably.

She collapsed back into Sawyers arms, and he laid her gently back. She was still coughing and gasping for air, and though he would never admit it, he was scared.

"Danoso, I need you to lay back and relax, okay?" Jack said, wiping her chin with a cloth, holding an open bottle in his hands.

"Do you think you can drink this for me?" he asked lightly, shaking the bottle gently.

Danoso coughed once more, and nodded her head, her eyes unfocused. "Boone…" she mumbled incoherently.

"Here, I'm going to give it to Sawyer, and he's going to pour some slowly into your mouth. Got it?" Danoso didn't bother responding, and Jack handed the bottle to Sawyer. Jack motioned Sawyer to get closer to Danoso and he tilted her head to the side.

"Where are you goin' Jacks?" Sawyer asked, taking the bottle and moving like Jack had told him to.

Jack ignored him. He had to work fast. "You still awake Danoso?" he asked.

"Her eyes are open, and she's swallowing," Sawyer provided, trying to help.

"Okay, Danoso, stop swallowing for a second, and grab onto Sawyer hand," Jack ordered, and Sawyer took Danoso's hand, more confused then ever.

"Sawyer, talk to her," after a second of nothing.

"Um… hey, how you doing?" Sawyer started, looking back at Jack, who had lifted up the covers and was looking at Danoso's leg, a bottle of unopened scotch in his hand. His stomach grew unsettled, and he gripped Danoso's hand tighter.

"So I was walking through the mall one day, and the funniest thing happened. I ran into my friend, who had a cat, that had just pooped on the plants in my garden," Sawyer improvised. "So I started yelling at this guy, my friend, about his stupid cat, when the police came and-"

Sawyer felt the bed shake, and a Danoso gasped audibly through the breezy tent before she let out a little shout of pain, digging her nails into Sawyer hand. She clamped her eyes shut, and within seconds, her clutch had eased, her face relaxed.

"What the hell did you do doc?" Sawyer asked fearfully.

"Is she breathing?" Jack asked, still in his doctor mode. Sawyer looked back just as Jack tied off a thin bit of thread.

"She's not awake…what did you do?" Sawyer asked again, putting his hand on her face, feeling her cold, clammy skin.

"I fixed her leg," Jack answered, not sounded entirely sure of himself. He checked Danoso's pulse, and laid a wet towel over her forehead. "Call me if she wakes up." Jack walked out of the tent into the woods, his hands slightly shaking, and his face pale.

Sawyer looked at the tiny kid laying in the bed, her hand still in his. He noticed for the first time how small and tired she looked. She probably wasn't even legal in America yet. He looked at her, moving her red hair to the side of her face, wishing that he hadn't agreed with her stupid plan.

For the first time since his childhood, Sawyer was truly scared, Jack's words repeating in his head. "-_**If** she wakes up…"_

_----------------------------------_

"A mass of people have shown up to support the families that have lost loved ones that were on Oceanic Flight 815. It's remarkable how much attention this tragic flight is getting from the American government, but I'm sure that every effort is well appreciated by those connected. The American government has given a monetary compensation, flown in families from other countries, as well as other commodities in order to make this time a little less difficult for some. If you wish to view the ceremony as it happens, live, tune into…" 

----------------------------------

Jack opened the flap of the tent, not surprised to see Boone by Danoso's bed, holding onto her hand. His head was resting in the crook of her arm, and his back was rising and falling steadily, fast asleep. It was not unusual for someone to be by her side at any given time, sleeping or awake.

"Boone," he whispered, touching his back cautiously. Boone stirred, and blinked open his eyes.

"Hm?" he asked sleepily. Jack noticed for the fist time that his jeans were torn and blood stained, a piece of fabric wrapped sloppily around his leg.

"What happened?" Jack asked, sitting down beside Boone, regarding his leg.

Boone glanced at Jack, then briefly at his own leg. "Oh." Boone suddenly remembered getting shot in the leg, right before they took Danoso away. It all seemed so long ago. "I got shoot…" Boone demeanor was casual, but Jack knew there was a deeper story.

"How is it that you're the one that's always getting hurt?" Jack joked. "Should I look at it?" Jack asked, seriously.

"I'll be fine," Boone said, shrugging it off. "It's just…" he seemed to be struggling with himself, either not sure whether or not to say it, or not able to put it into words.

"Yeah?" Jack encouraged, knowing how it felt to want to say something but not be able to get the words right.

"It's just… they wanted to take her so badly, they were willing to do anything." He looked over at Jack as if that explained it. Jack looked at him blankly. "But why? Why did they want her so bad? I mean, she's so…"

Jack looked at Danoso, taking in her red hair, the slow, steady rise and fall of the blanket across her chest. She looked so innocent and peaceful, lying in the complement of blankets. Why would people so cruel and mean want with someone so peaceful and helpless?

"It's funny. When she first attacked me, I thought she was a nut job, that she deserved whatever was coming at her. Who attacks random people out in the jungle?" He stopped for a moment, thinking deep. "But out in that forest, I would've rather me killed, then her hurt."

"Funny how things change…" Jack whispered, so quietly that Boone hardly heard him.

"I was so scared, when I couldn't find her. She promised us that she wouldn't get hurt…." He squeezed her hand a little tighter, surprised at how close he'd gotten to her. "And I believed her… Something in me told me not to, but I did, regardless… It's all my fault… I don't know what I would've done if I'd had lost her."

"Boone." Jack started, getting ready to give his "It's-not-your-fault-there-was-nothing-you-could-do-about-it" speech when he noticed something in what Boone had said.

"What?" Boone asked, taking his eyes off Danoso and looking at Jack.

"I remember, before, when the others still had me, I heard voices. I was outside, and it was raining, and there were two people arguing about stuff. It was her and someone else. They threatened to kill me, but she said that she knew that they wouldn't. She said that she knew what was in her, and that she was too valuable. Something valuable to the others. But they won't say anything. And she can't."

"And this thing… Is what's hurting her? What's made her like this?" Boone asked, standing up.

"It might be, or it might be something else. Boone!" Jack shouted, grabbing Boone's arm as he started out the flap. "What are you going to do?" he asked softer.

"Find out what the hell _they_ did to her." He shook his arm free, and stormed away.

Jack stayed behind and looked at Danoso's peacefully sleeping figure. "Get well soon," he whispered, leaving the tent reluctantly to go after Boone.

_------------------_

"Jack."

Jack stopped and quickly looked behind him. All he saw were trees. _It must have been the wind_. He continued after Boone, who was making a beeline for the cave where they held the Others that hadn't been killed by either explosion.

"Boone, hold up-" he started when he heard another hushed, "Jack!" He looked around longer this time, before he shook his head. He really needed some rest. Now he was hearing voices.

"Jack!" This time, Jack whipped around, and saw part of Charlie sticking out from a tree.

"Charlie?" he asked.

"Come'r'," Charlie whispered, motioning for Jack to come to him.

"But…" Jack looked at Boone, who was already well ahead. "This better be good," he whispered back at Charlie.

"Just come here." Jack made his way to where Charlie was standing, noticing that Charlie was carrying something in his hand.

"Why are we whispering? Is that…" Jack asked, looking at the folder.

"Yeah, it's a bloody folder. Look what's in it," Charlie said, handing the folder to Jack. Jack ran his fingers across the "CONFEDINTIAL" stamp, and studied the numbers quickly.

"What do these mean?" he asked, looking down at Charlie.

"I have no idea, but Hurley reckons that they're bad."

Jack opened a flap, and took in a breath. It was a picture of him and Sara, before they were married. He had his arm around her, and she was giggling at something. He looked closer at the background and recognized it to be a fair they had gone to a while ago, years back.

"What is this?" Jack asked, flipping through the pages, seeing everything from his medical records to all his previous addresses, to all the major surgery's he'd done, and his medical school marks. "Where did it get all this information?"

He flipped quickly through the other packages, recognizing almost all the faces on the pictures. He got to the back and looked at the list.

"Charlie," he asked sternly. "What the _hell _is going on!"

"Don't get mad at me, man! Don't shoot the messenger." He looked thoughtfully at the folder.

"Where did you find it?" Jack asked.

"Hurley found a old plane in the middle of the sodden jungle, so we snooped around a bit to try and find something useful. We found that." Charlie gestured to the folder.

"What do you reckon it all means?"

"I don't know Charlie," he said honestly. "I have no idea. But I can't think straight right now," he handed the folder back to Charlie, and then started to head the way that Boone had gone.

"Wait! What am I supposed to do with it!" Charlie shouted to his back.

Jack stopped, and turned around. "Do whatever you want with it. Just… if it was me, I wouldn't tell anyone else about it for the time being, or at least until we can figure out what it means." Charlie nodded, but Jack was already out of sight. He went back to the beach, to find Hurley and tell him what Jack had said.

-----------------------

Liam Pace stood outside the pompous hotel on the porch adjoining to his room. He propped his elbows on the cold railing, staring absently up at the stars. There weren't many visible, the states skyscrapers and artificial lights diluting the image. He stared up, wondering whether or not Charlie was up there, looking down at him, whether he was glowering or smiling. 

"…_the ceremony today to honor those lost in Oceanic Flight 815 ended today in tears for the dearly missed loved ones…"_

_The porch doors slid open almost silently, the news of the day flooding out from it for only a couple seconds. Liam looked around to see his young daughter Megan looking up at him with tired eyes._

"_Baby, what are you doing out here?" Liam asked, smiling at her. She was his shining star, the one who helped him make it through the day, knowingly or not. _

"_Daddy, are you sad?" she asked, walking up to him, her angelic face glowing. _

"_Just a little," he admitted, picking her up. _

"_What about?" she questioned him, holding his neck with one arm while she sucked her thumb with the other. _

_Liam looked at her, not sure how to explain death to someone so young. He suddenly felt regret sweep over him, this time for how his little princess barely knew her late uncle. _

"_Do you remember Uncle Charlie?" Liam asked, his voice cracking slightly as he said his name. _

"_Uncle Charlie? Um…" her little face was deep in thought. "Uncle who you started the band with?" she asked. _

_Liam nodded his head. The stupid band was the reason that this was all happening. He remembered the last time he'd seen Charlie, how they'd had a row, the biggest they'd ever had. He wished he could take it back. _

"_When will I see him again? I liked him," she mumbled, her head dropping forward. _

"_Uncle Charlie… went away. Forever…." Liam blinked back tears. _

"_How long is forever?" she asked, her head now resting on his shoulder, her eyes slowly closing. _

_Liam smiled. _

"_As uncle Charlie used to say, it's the number of years it would take a tiny blue bird to bring down a mountain if every year, it flew by just once and brushed the tip of its wing against it."_

"_That's a long time," she yawned, after thinking a moment. She closed her eyes and Liam held her against him, fighting tears. It was a long time. Liam tried to imagine what it would be like, waking up everyday, knowing that he wouldn't be able to speak to Charlie, ever, see him, hug him. _

_He looked up at the stars once more, whispering, "Goodbye Charlie. I love you, and I never meant for any of this to happen. It's my entire fault, and I forgive you for anything you thought you might have done. Hope you're not mad…" He hugged his daughter tighter, and took her inside, hoping that she would remember Charlie for the great guy he was as she grew up. _

She_ looked up at the stars, thinking about what he had said. Was this Charlie's brother? Or was she just going insane?_

-------------------------

"Hey Boone," Kate greeted. She noticed Boone's mood and blocked the door. "What are you doing here?" she asked suspiciously.

A couple "Others" had survived the two dynamite blasts. Jack asked some people to guard the remaining, fixing them up as best he could. Out of all that survived the close contact of the blast, the one who had gotten it the worst was Danoso.

"Kate, let me in," Boone said, trying to get pass her forcefully.

Kate didn't budge an inch, "Boone, I asked you what you were doing here."

"They did something to her." Boone stopped and looked at Kate. "And I want to know what. What ever they did, it's killing her." Kate didn't have to ask whom he was talking about. It was obvious. Before she had a chance to say anything, Jack appeared behind him.

"Boone!" Boone turned around to find Jack panting slightly. He jogged the last few yards, and halted in front of the two of them. "Boone, what are you going to do?" he asked.

"Find out what's killing her," Boone answered, trying once again to get past Kate.

"Wait a minute. What's going on here? Whose with Danoso?" Kate asked, still not allowing Boone to pass.

Boone stopped for a moment.

"Boone, why don't you go and stay with Danoso, and I'll try and figure this whole mess out."

"What's happening?" Kate asked again, looking back and forth between Jack and Boone.

Boone started to respond but Jack put his hand up. "The others put something into Danoso. I don't know what it is, or if it's the thing making her sick. Her legs pretty bad as it is, but it might not be that. Or it might be whatever's in her plus her leg that is making her like this. I want to find out what they put into her, and what it does. Boone, go back to Danoso, and stay with her. Kate, I'm going in to try and find out what it is that happened."

Boone glared at Jack before he reluctantly headed back up the path, grumbling.

"Want to come with me?" Jack asked, and he stepped inside. Kate looked around, and then followed him, curious.

­­­­­------------

"Boone." Boone stopped his angry warpath through the jungle and turned around to see Locke standing behind him, almost hidden from view by a tree.

"What do you want?" Boone asked sharply. He was in a bad mood, and although he knew that Jack was probably right about sending him away, he didn't like being treated like a child.

"That all depends on what you want," Locke said, disappearing behind the overgrown tree. Boone reluctantly followed him, his patience at its limits. He didn't particularly feel like playing another Locke mind game at the moment.

"And what is it that I want John?" Boone asked, catching sight of him.

"What are you feeling at the moment, Boone?" John asked, stopping and turning around to face him. Boone stopped and thought, Locke waiting expectantly.

He was angry with Jack, for telling him off and shoving him aside. He was angry with the Others, about what they might have done to Danoso. He was confused, with the island, where the others had come from. He realized that he missed his family, who he knew he would probably never see again. He felt hopeless, unable to help everyone who survived be rescued. He felt useless, because everyone had something, except for him. Jack was a doctor, and he saved people; Kate and Locke knew the ways of the wild, they caught food and tracked when needed; Charlie played his guitar when people needed a spirit boost; Claire had her baby; Hurley kept everyone lively, making people laugh when there would be otherwise nothing to laugh about; Michael had Walt, and Walt had Michael, and when other people saw them together, it made them try harder to become closer with each other; Sayid knew how to work computers and gizmos; and Shannon… Shannon had Sayid, as much as Boone resented it; even Sawyer had the things he'd gathered when the plane first crashed, things that Boone knew, if anyone really really needed them, he would be willing to give. Boone had nothing. He was useless.

"Everything," Boone told him, looking down.

"That's a lot to feel all at one time. But what's the one thing that really sticks out. The one thing that you're feeling the most?" Locke persisted.

"I'm worried about her," Boone answered automatically. He wondered if that was really it, or if it was just his mouth going on overdrive. He pictured Danoso, lying in the makeshift bed, not moving, and knew. He was scared that she would die.

"Good. Because I have something to show you."

----------------------------------

A mile or so away, in a beige tent, crookedly erected, near the beach and the sound of the steadily crashing waves, Danoso lay motionless.

A single drop of blood landed on her pillow, appearing below her mouth.

Then another closely followed by another.

TBC…

**-LOST-**

**Cohen101**


	13. 13 Melody

**A/N: Hey all, hope everyone had a happy holiday! Thanks to all that reviewed last chapter, and I hope you got your replies. Sorry about the delay, but I don't think that I've ever had so much trouble writing a chapter. At one point I just deleted a whole portion and started over cause it was crap. I hope you all enjoy this, and tell me what you think, and point out what you did and didn't like, cause I'm still not entirely happy with it, but I don't know what else to do. **

**Enjoy, and please review :)**

**I realize that I sort of forgot about Shannon, and she is important, so here we go:**

**13.13 Melody**

_She creaked the door to his room open quietly, and looked around. The royal blue walls were covered in posters, ranging from sports stars to TV shows. The quiet buzzing of the abandoned computer and a light trickling of fish tank water were the only sounds. She walked up slowly to his bed, hoping that she wouldn't scare him. She got to his bed, and began poking him nimbly with her finger. _

"_Boone… Boone… Wake up Boone…"_

_Boone groggily swiped at the persistent tapping that was targeted at his shoulder. He opened a single eye to see his 10-year-old stepsister persistently poking him with her finger._

"_Whadaya want?" he mumbled. He rubbed his eyes and peered over to the fancy alarm clock stationed on his oak wood night table. "Jesus Christ, it's three in the morning." He glared at the younger girl. "This better be good Shannon," he mumbled. At times, Shannon could be a brat. _

_Like pretty much all the time._

_Shannon wordlessly held up a picture. It was old, presumably taken in a photo booth. Shannon's head was seemingly floating in-between two figures, a man and a woman. The woman looked almost like Shannon, the same hair, smile, and nose, but older, and more mature. The man Boone immediately identified as his stepfather, his facial expression unchanged since the photograph had been taken._

_Boone resented him, for coming into him and his mother's life, taking his fathers place without remorse, and for thinking he had some kind of hold over Boone. But he was also thankful to him, for introducing him to Shannon, though quite a brat she could be at times._

_Shannon's lip quivered, and she pushed a light blonde streak of hair behind her ear. Boone could see that she was visibly shaking, and his demeanor changed immediately. _

"_Are you alright Shan?" Boone asked, moving the thin covers off his feet and swinging them over the edge of the bed. _

_Shannon nodded and whimpered. Boone lifted her up and placed her on his lap. She clutched onto him tightly, and he wrapped his arms around her, rubbing her back soothingly. "It's okay Shannon, I'm here for you," Boone whispered, kissing her lightly on the forehead. Even though she was a brat, and never left him alone, he loved her and would do anything to keep her safe and happy._

"_I miss her," she whispered, and Boone felt her begin to cry. So the lady in the photograph was her mom. He didn't bother asking her why she hadn't gone to her dad, but instead tried consoling her._

"_Baby, don't cry." He hated to hear her crying. He hated to hear anyone cry. He lifted her up and twisted around, laying them both down on the bed. _

"_I know it's sad Shannon, and I know how it feels. It hurts real bad, inside, right?" She nodded and he started running his finger down her nose, the soothing motion his dad used to use to calm him down. "Do you think your mom would want you to be crying right now?" Shannon shook her head, but kept crying. _

"_Don't cry Shannon, it's not like it's forever. You'll see her someday." He hugged her tighter. _

"_Promise?" Shannon whispered, and Boone nodded with a reassuring smile. Her big brother always knew what to do to make things right. Boone silently watched the clock flip its numbers, minute after minute. He felt Shannon calm down and stop crying. Eventually, her breathing became more even and subtle. _

"_Everyone in the world has a candle Shannon. And when that flame goes out, all it brings is pain and sadness. But we'll get through it together," Boone reassured her, not sure whether or not Shannon was still awake. He closed his eyes, and was instantly asleep. _

-------------------

" … and just follow me around this way…" Locke trailed off when he noticed that Boone had no intention of following behind him. "Boone, I have something to show you," he repeated.

Boone shook his head, forcing images of 10-year-old Shannon out of his mind. He gut did a twist, and then uncomfortably plunged.

"Boone, are you coming or not?" Locke asked patiently.

"Uh…" Boones gut did another wrenching twist, and he shook his head. "Maybe some other time John."

Locke smiled at him queerly. "Why not now? While you're this close?"

"Because…" Boone looked at him. Why was he so insistent? "I have to go back and check on... something."

"Do you want to check on her? Danoso, I mean?"

Boone regarded him carefully. What was he questioning? His gut wrenched again, and he looked instinctively to the direction of the beach. And her. "Yeah, why?"

"I want to show _you_ this thing that I've found. Now, if you don't want to see it, what do you reckon I do?"

Boone gazed at him. Why the hell was Locke asking him?

Realizing that Boone was confused, Locke decided to help him out. "What would you do if you were in my shoes?"

If Boone was in Locke's shoes, he would go to someone he trusted. He would show whatever to someone that would know what to do with it. "I'd show Jack," Boone answered.

_Of course you would,_ Locke thought. "Then I'll show Jack." Locke smiled.

Boone was surprised at his instant agreement, thrown off guard. "Then show Jack." He stood up uncertainly, and glanced at Locke one last time before resuming his route down to the beach.

-----------------------

Sawyer stared at the letter. He remembered when he wrote it. Sitting in the playroom, the snow whirling around outside the windows, trying to get in, just like the wind was doing with the tent flaps.

He remembered writing it with a silver pen that said, '_Property of Shipping Box Co.'…_

"_You killed my parents, Mr. Sawyer."_

_He poked at the paper, creating the final dot. He'd been writing in the most grown-up writing he had. One day he would find Mr. Sawyer, and hurt him, just like he hurt his parents. He would make him pay for what he did to them. James felt his eyes redden, and grow hot from his anger and sadness. He would make him regret ever taking away his daddy's money. _

"_Hey James, what're you writing?" Alexandra asked. James jumped; pulling in his breath, as if she'd just stepped out a dark corner in the middle of the night and yelled 'boo'. He quickly got his wits, and covered the messy childish writing with his arms, crinkling the paper in the scribbler. _

"_Nutthin'," he muttered, putting his chin stubbornly atop his arms. He looked up reproachfully at Alexandra, his eyes still slightly moist at the edges. _

"_You look like you want to cry…" Alexandra crouched down by the stool he sat on, her usual keen self. "What's wrong?" she asked gently. _

_He lay down his head, and looked at her for a moment. She reminded him so much of his mommy. He swallowed as he felt the edges of his eyes grow hot again and threaten to allow a couple tears through. He just missed her so much. How was it possible for a person who'd been there for you your whole life, not be there anymore? _

"_Nutthin'," he muttered again, unfolding his hands and ripping the paper out of the binder. He swung his legs around the stool and walked away from Alexandra the paper in his hand. Out in the large corridor, away from Alexandra's piercing gaze, he slid down to the ground, re-reading his work. He was crying by the time he reached the last line…_

'_You killed my parents, Mr. Sawyer.'_

He clenched the paper harder in his hand, watching the writing become disoriented._ That he did…_ Sawyer thought bitterly. He lowered the letter and stared hard at Danoso's back. He remembered when she first asked him what his real name was. Sitting on the beach then, she'd no idea. So why had she called him James? There was no way she could have known. She had probably been delusional. But still, it bothered him. Stirred up old memories he'd rather have forgotten for a little while longer. Buy why James? Why not Boone, or Jack… Why James? He looked down at the letter in his hands.

"_Dear Mr. Sawyer, you don't know who I am but I know who you are and I know what you done. You had sex with my mother and then you stole my dad's money all away. So he got angry and he killed my mother and then he killed himself, too. All I know is your name. But one of these days I'm going to find you and I'm going to give you this letter so you'll remember what you done to me. You killed my parents, Mr. Sawyer."_

He looked at the childish scrawl of a signature, and sighed.

'_James Ford'._

He wished he could be that kid again. The kid he used to be. Go-lucky and happy. Never realizing the simplicity of life he had had until it had been snatched away. But that kid had forever disappeared. That kid had withered and died a long, long time ago…

Danoso's body gave a small shudder, and Sawyer nearly fell out of his chair. She'd been motionless since he'd gotten there. Surprised not to find Boone with her, he decided to stay, ponder on his thoughts.

"Kiddo?" he asked, letting his feet fall to the ground. He got up slowly, and folded the letter back into the envelope, and that into his back pocket. He walked around the bed, so that he could see her face, and tucked a greasy strand of maroon red hair behind her ear.

"Are you awake?" he asked quietly. Her hair covered the entire pillow, the strands seeming to fuse with it. At first he thought that she'd gotten hair into her mouth, but when he tried removing it, a sticky substance rubbed off on his fingers.

"What the…" he muttered to himself, bringing it to his nose to smell it. It was too dark to be blood… though it did smell curiously like it. "Shit…" Sawyer muttered, wiping his fingers off on his pants. He stared at her face, mesmerized by a drop of blood that slid from her mouth, rolled down her cheek, and drop down onto the pillow. With a jolt he realized that it wasn't her hair covering the pillow, it was her blood.

"What the hells happenin' to you kid?" Sawyer asked, unconsciously knowing she wouldn't answer. He gently tugged her chin down and watched as more blood poured out of her agape mouth. Sawyer swore. He turned her head to the side, and ran to the flap of the tent. He looked back at Danoso, and then at the deserted beach. He really didn't want to leave her. Fighting with himself for a couple seconds, he took off through the beach, and into the woods, wondering were Jack would be at this time of day.

----------------------------

Jack crouched down with his head in his hands. He'd screwed up. Everyone had trusted him, believed in him, and he screwed it up. This was why he didn't want anyone to listen to him, to look to him for leadership. Because in the end, he always screwed up. Somehow.

Always.

"Jack, it's not your fault."

_Yeah right it isn't,_ he thought. He felt her put a hand on his shoulder, and he looked up at her, then around at the empty cave.

"Then whose is it Kate?"

She stayed silent. She didn't have an answer. No one ever did. Not when they knew it was your fault. Not when they knew you had screwed up. He just prayed that the remaining others that'd escaped wouldn't come back and cause trouble.

"You can't blame yourself Jack, you were just trying to help them," Kate tried reassuring him. She crouched down beside him. "You can't do everything yourself, you know that?" He stood up, looking at her, confused. Of course he couldn't. At times he wished he could, but he knew that he couldn't. "You need other people to help you. And sometimes they screw up. No ones perfect, and you have to remember that you weren't the one that screwed up. You were taking care of Danoso. You can't be in two places at once. People might blame you, but they know deep down that there's a reason that we're all still here."

She pulled him into a hug, resting her head on his shoulder. "And that reason's you, Jack." And she wasn't saying it just to make him feel better either. She was positive that if Jack weren't there, helping them, there would be a lot less people still with them. He slowly wrapped his arms around her. Jack was the one who made her feel safe. Who made her forget about the bad things she'd done before.

Makes her forget that she's a criminal.

"I'm sorry Kate," he whispered into her ear. She looked up at him. What would Jack have to be sorry about?

"What are we doing, Jack?" she asked tiredly, leaning back against his hands so she could see at him better. "What are we doing? Sneaking around, like high school teenagers? We're adults, aren't we?"

Jack looked at her confused. Was she making a statement? Or asking him a question?

"So then… where do we stand?" he asked.

Before she could answer, Sawyer appeared at the opening of the oversized cave with an "Aw, lookey here. Ain't that cute?"

"What do you want Sawyer?" Kate asked, turning to face him, but keeping her arm around Jack, not fully letting him go.

"And here I thought that you were my baby, Freckles." Sawyer looked hurt, but Kate couldn't tell if he was being serious or just sarcastic.

"I was never your baby, Sawyer," Kate replied rather harshly.

"What did you want, Sawyer?" Jack asked, ignoring the stabbed-in-the-heart motion Sawyer was giving to Kate. She was still close to him, and he could feel her body heat.

"The gal in the tent needs a doc, so if you know one, I'd hurry up and send 'em over." He looked like he was going to add something, but thought better of it. "C ya later Freckles," he said, giving Kate a little kiss in the air. He turned around and left.

"He's an odd one," Jack said after a minute of silence. "I've got to go, Kate," Jack said, his thoughts immediately turning from the escaped Others, to Danoso's well being. "Are you going to come?" he asked.

"Yeah, it's not like I have anywhere else to be," Kate replied. Jack began to take off, but she grabbed his arm. She looked him in the eyes, just staring. "Don't worry about it Jack. We'll talk later, okay? " She said, letting go of his arm, and slipping her hand into his. She gave it a little squeeze.

Jack nodded. He had more important things to think about.

--------------------------------

Locke sat on a tree stump, peeling what resembled an orange. So far no one had been killed from it, so he deemed it safe to eat. He had thought for sure that Boone would be the one who would back him in his hatch expedition. But instead, he had referred him to Jack, without even giving it a look.

The mystery of the hatch made his skin itch. What was it doing in the jungle? Why did it say Quarantine? What was inside of it? The mystery compelled him. The power of the island had made him better. It had given his ability to walk without assistance. For that reason, he believed that the island was good. The island was good to them; it gave them the guidance to find food, to find water. It brought out a different someone in everyone. He bit into the orange. It made him realize his meaning in life, his mission. And others would soon follow; find their own meaning. He had found the hatch, and he was positive that it was just a test from the island. It was just another test.

Voices could be heard from up the path, and Locke quickly stood up. He waited there, motionless until he saw two people walking down the path, hand in hand. As they got closer, he recognized the slim figure of Kate beside a buffer looking Jack. Kate looked up, noticing Locke for the first time. She quickly let go of Jack's hand, and nodded towards Locke as explanation.

Locke stood there unmoving, half the orange-imposter in his hand. He contemplated on telling Jack about the hatch, or getting someone else's opinion.

"Jack," Locke said. Anyone else he would tell would show Jack. Better gain some of Jack's trust, than lose whatever he had left.

"Yeah, John?" Jack asked impatiently.

"I've got something to show you."

"And what would that be John?" Jack asked, not particularly interested. He wanted to get back to Danoso, see what Sawyer had been talking about. Was Danoso simply just awake, or was there something wrong with her? Or was Sawyer being his normal ass-hole self, making small things bigger then they seemed, and big things smaller?

Locke stared at Jack, causing him to become slightly unnerved. "If I told you, you wouldn't believe me. You're going to have to see it. Come." He moved away, not waiting for Jack to follow him. He knew that Jack would. Because that was just who Jack was.

Jack glanced quickly at Kate before following Locke. Kate grabbed onto his hand, and followed behind him, wondering where the hell Locke was taking them.

-----------------------

"What is it?" Jack asked. It looked like nothing too important, just a grubby piece of metal embedded into the earth. He watched Locke walk over to it and crouch, moving some of it surrounding foliage.

"That," Locke answered, grinning, "is a hatch." He wiped away some more of the dirt, and Jack could see that it was more the just metal. There was dirt covering a seemingly permanently smudged window, surrounded by a small metal frame.

Jack's immediate thought was that the hatch belonged to the Others. For a fleeting moment, he wondered if the escaped Others had fled into it, but realized that it was surrounded by tons and tons of dirt, which looked like it hadn't been moved in ages.

"Do you know what's inside yet?" Kate asked, seemingly reading his mind. Like Jack, she automatically assumed it belonged to the Others. She walked over to where Locke was crouching, and fell to her knees, beginning to trace the metal frame with her finger. Jack paused and looked back at the path before following her.

Locke sat back and watched as Jack and Kate pushed aside the dirt and grass, shifting it around, just as he had done the first time he'd found it. They unearthed the hinge, and cleared away a tidy square, before stopping.

"So how do we open it?" Locke asked, his arms folded.

"John, it says Quarantine. It doesn't even have an outside handle."

He regarded Jack for a second. "And why would that be important?"

Kate traced her fingers around the imprinted 'Quarantine' letters.

"Because it means that whatever's in there is supposed to be left alone," Jack answered. He wasn't going to go around the jungle digging up who knows what. Not with all the crazy stuff that recently happened.

"But aren't all closed things meant to be opened?" Locke asked.

Jack stood up, and Locke followed suite. "Probably not ones that say Quarantine, John."

"But there might be something inside of it that could help us. There might be a radio transmitter down there, more medicine. Isn't it worth a try?" Whether or not he got Jack's permission, he knew he would try every which way to open it. It was just another test from the island, a test that he would pass.

"It might help us John, but have you ever though that whatever's inside there might be bad? We can't risk it. Not yet." John shook his head, knowing all along that Jack wouldn't understand.

"But-"

"Jack!"

Jack snapped his head back. He knew that voice.

It was Boone's.

"Jack!" he gasped, using air faster then he could get it. He was red in the face, and panting hard.

"Boone, what is it?"

"It's Danoso," he stopped, trying to catch his breath once again. "There's something wrong with her, she's-"

Jack was already running back to the beach; Boone confirming the bad feeling Sawyer had given him before.

------------------------

"What's wrong with her?" Boone asked the second they entered the large tent. He was panting from the run, urging Jack to go faster when his ribs slowed him down. It took a second for Jack to realize that the red covering Danoso's pillow was in fact blood, not loose hair.

"I don't know," Jack mumbled, running the last few steps to her, and removing the blanket that covered her small body.

"Do you think she'll be okay?" Boone asked, following after him, looking nervously over his shoulder.

"I don't know," Jack answered again, beginning to get slightly irritated. He checked her forehead, which was slightly warm to the touch. He couldn't determine if she had a fever or not, but noted her unusually pale face.

"What do you think is wrong?" Boone asked again. Jack simply ignored him, and opened Danoso's mouth to see if he could identify the source of the bleed.

"That isn't good, is it?" Boone's persistent inquires were getting on Jack's nerves.

"Boone, either sit down and shut up or leave!" Jack tried to keep his voice from rising to a shout. He glared at Boone for a moment, and then turned back to Danoso. Right now he didn't have the time to deal with Boone's questions. All they were doing were making him more worried and uptight. Boone looked stunned for a second, but then walked over to the other side, and became quiet.

Jack quickly gave Danoso's body a once over, scanning for anything that would point to why she was bleeding this bad. The stitches in her leg looked fine, no sign of infection was visible. He lifted up her shirt, and couldn't see any visible bruising or swelling. Wondering if a broken rib had punctured something, he quickly ran his hand across them, not entirely sure he was relived or disappointed that they were perfectly intact. He looked inside her mouth, and as far as he could tell, it wasn't from a root canal, or any gums. The bleeding seemed to have slowed to almost nothing.

"Danoso, can you hear me?" Jack took her head in his hands, and prayed for her eyes to open. There was almost virtually nothing he could do to help her without the modern day equipment he was used having at his disposal. "Kiddo, I need you to wake up for me, alright?" He lifted her up into a sitting position, and didn't complain when Boone crawled onto the bed and sat behind her, keeping her up.

"What's-"

"Boone!" Jack yelled, and Boone immediately shut his mouth. He muttered a quick sorry, and wrapped his arms around Danoso's waist, holding her close to him. Jack noticed, but didn't question the motion.

"Danoso. If you can hear me, open your eyes, alright?" Jack took a flashlight from his pocket, and lifted one of Danoso's eyelids. The pupil was dilated, and it shrunk as soon as he flashed the light into it. He checked the other one, and it had the same reaction. It didn't tell him much, but it made him feel better, knowing that he was at least doing something. He balled up a towel that said '_Property of Travel Lodge, Sydney, Australia',_ wetted it,and carefully began cleaning the side of her mouth where all the blood had drained. Boone leaned back against the cold metal, allowing Danoso's body to rest more comfortably against his.

Jack tossed the bloody towel aside, and picked up a clean one. He gently eased Danoso's jaw open, and patted the surface of her tongue, the towel absorbing most of the blood.

"W-Won't you choke her?" Boone asked timidly. Jack was a little scary when he was dealing with injuries, and Boone was afraid that he would get yelled at again.

"No, Boone, because I'm being careful," Jack answered through gritted teeth. He re-arranged the towel so that he could use a clean portion, and dapped it inside, cleaning out the rest of the blood around and at the top of her mouth. Balling up the now red face cloth, he tossed it to the end of the bed, right as Kate and Locke walked in.

Kate stared at the cloth as it arched and then landed beside the other, equally bloody towel. "What the hell happened?" she asked after a moment of silence. Boone glanced up at her, then to Jack, afraid to say anything that would cause Jack to snap. Jack moved away from the bed, and took a water bottle, unscrewing the cap slowly.

"Jack, what happened?" Kate repeated. When Jack didn't provide an answer, she walked up to him and grabbed his arm. "Jack, what's wrong?"

Jack looked up at her. "I don't know," he whispered. "I don't know. None of her bones are broken, her ribs are perfectly fine, she doesn't have any bruises, and there's nothing wrong with her teeth, gums, or mouth in general." He looked into Kate's eyes and she could tell that he really had no idea. He turned to Locke, who was standing where they'd entered, looking slightly uncomfortable.

"John, the hatch?"

"What about it?" Locke asked, interested. He felt awkward, just standing there. He didn't have a place here; it felt like he was intruding in a personal family moment.

"Open it. I don't care how. If there's something in there that'll help her… just open it John."

Locke nodded his head, and turned from the door, exiting, glad to have an excuse to leave.

"What hatch?" Boone asked, his chin resting gently on top of Danoso's head. Kate looked questioningly at him, noticing him for the first time. Neither Kate nor Jack answered him, Jack moving towards them with the water. "Wait, Jack, won't that choke her?" Boone asked, as Jack placed the lip of the bottle above Danoso's slightly open mouth and began to tip it.

Jack didn't answer, and the three of them watched the water slowly crawl closer and closer to the edge. A thin trickle came out, the majority landing in Danoso's mouth. For a second, they just stared. Danoso gave a small gurgle, and jolted, coughing a mixture of blood and water out of her mouth.

"Hey, kiddo, you awake?" Jack asked, immediately putting her head in his hands, holding it still. Boone gripped her body tighter, trying to keep it from shivering.

"Hey, hey," Jack muttered as she tried to shake his hands off. "Answer me, please?"

Danoso gave another cough, and a thin line of blood trailed down her chin. She started wiggling her head, trying to get away from Jack's hands. "Boone?" she tried shouting, but her voice was weak and broken, barley above a whisper. Jack gently placed her head on Boone's shoulder.

"I'm right behind you, don't worry. You're safe now, I'm right here," Boone whispered. Boone took her hand gently in his, and held it. She coughed again, and specks of blood flew from her mouth, landing on the thin blanket that covered her.

"Where am I?" she asked. Boone found her other hand, and tangled his fingers in it. He looked up at Jack, who signaled at him to answer.

"You're on the beach, with me, Jack and Kate. Don't worry about a thing, you're in good hands," he reassured her.

She curled up to Boone as best she could, grimacing when she tried moving her injured leg. "Others?" she asked.

Kate glanced at Jack to see how he would react, and he quickly answered, "They're all taken care of, don't worry about them." He looked downward, and Kate took his hand and squeezed it gently. Jack glanced at her and smiled gratefully.

Danoso gave a half nod, and laid her head on Boone's chest, eyes closed. She gave a weak cough, and a bit of blood managed to find its way onto Boone's shirt.

"Danoso?" Jack asked, and she gave a small grunt of acknowledgement. "When you breathe in and out, what hurts the most?"

She mumbled something incoherent, and Boone glanced up at Jack and said, "She says that her leg hurts the most, but that's normal right?"

Jack nodded. "I'll be back in a second, okay?" Boone nodded, and bent down his head. Jack pulled Kate out of the tent after him, and walked a short distance from the tent before stopping.

"Jack, why was she bleeding?" Kate asked immediately.

Jack bit his lip before replying, "I honestly don't know. It can't have been her leg, even if she has a torn ligament of some sort. The only reason you should be bleeding like that is if something inside you is ruptured, and the blood from that is entering your esophagus. Broken ribs may puncture a lung, which in turn will cause the blood to travel to the mouth as she breathes out. But her ribs are fine. A pulled or damaged root canal could fill the mouth with blood, because that's the place that it's bleeding from. Her teeth are fine. A torn nerve in her throat would cause bleeding like that, but she can talk, and swallow just fine. If it were something to do with the liver, or any organs near that region, the blood would be coming out in bowel movements or urine. If her stomach were producing that much blood for any reason, it would hurt way more then a torn ligament would. There is no possible medical explanation for what would cause her to bleed like that. I don't know_ what's_ wrong with her, Kate!"

Kate remained still, letting what Jack said sink in. Jack stopped pacing, and they looked at each other, the sun beginning to fall over their shoulders.

"Jack…" he heard Boone calling from inside the tent. His voice wasn't urgent, but calm, and Kate raised a single eyebrow. Jack started laughing at her comical look, and then caught himself. He turned to Kate, serious.

"Kate, can you go into the woods and start helping Locke try to open the hatch? I'll be there in a little while, I just…" he nodded his head towards the tent, and Kate nodded.

"I'll see you there," Kate whispered, leaning into Jack and kissing him lightly on the cheek. She smiled and ran into the woods.

-----------------------

Danoso woke up, and for the first time in her life, someone was holding her. Someone had their arms wrapped firmly, yet gently around her, protecting her, keeping her safe and warm, their fingers tangling with hers. Her head rose and fell with the steady rhythm of his breathing, and without opening her eyes, she knew that if she looked up, she would see Boone.

She tried to remember where she was. It was warm, and she was sleeping in Boone's arms, covered by blankets. His shirt smelled like dirt, sweat, and there was a faint whiff of worn-out cologne. She could hear his heart beating, deep inside his chest, protected by organs, veins and blood. The up and down rhythm paused for a beat, and then resumed as if it hadn't stopped. A warm breeze fluttered across her head, and the trees rattling silently in the distance. Someone far away groaned and got up.

She tried to remember what happened, but all that came back were fragments of memories, or dreams; she couldn't tell which. She remembered hearing Boone's voice whispering into her ear that she was safe, and in good hands.

She opened an eye, and a dim ray of moonlight peeked through the closed flap of the tent. The dim light provided faint outlines of objects, towels, bottles, bowls, fruit, and she felt her eyes immediately begin to droop. Right in her line of vision, was an object she'd only seen in the principles office. It was a standard issue folder, beige in color, curiously thick. A quiet song could be heard, and Danoso realized that Charlie was singing. She smiled at the soothing sound, letting it enter her ears and calm her.

Unable to keep her eyes open any longer, she dropped her head so that it was hidden inside the blanket, and tried to get closer to Boone. Her leg protested in pain to the movement, and she bit her lip. She squeezed his hand tightly, venting it out, then yawned and closed her eyes. The pain dulled, and turned into a light ache while she drifted off to sleep, guitar chords and jumbled song in the background, content with being in Boone's arms.

TBC…

**-LOST-**

**Cohen101**


	14. 14 Awake

**A/N: Hey yall, hope you don't hate me :P I know it's been forever since I've updated, but seriously, hockey and school are sucking up all my time. I've barely had anytime to work on this, and considering we have 4 months left of school, and I've barley gotten 50 of my year done, I'm gonna be a bit slow on updates. **

**This chapter's more of a filler, nothing big really happens. I've got some HUGE plotlines coming up, idea's that I hope you'll like, if you continue reading. **

**Please R&R, it really means a lot. Tell me what you think about the chapter, whether you think it's rubbish or good, or whatever. **

**  
Enjoy :D**

**14.14 Awake**

Charlie walked across the beach, barefoot, enjoying the very first rays of sunshine, the still-damp sand sticking between his toes. He dodged the numerous bodies that littered the beach, rocking his torso back and forth in what he hoped was a soothing motion.

"There, there Turnip-head. Shush-up now, no need to worry, Charlie's here," he muttered quietly, doing his best to quiet Claire's baby down. He gurgled and squinted his eyes, and for an instance, Charlie could swear that Turnip-head had understood him. Charlie had finally managed to separate Claire from him, promising her valiantly that no harm would befall her precious son if only she left him with Charlie for a few hours.

Turnip-head gurgled with a small sniffle, tired, annoyed with all the motion that Charlie was causing. Charlie sighed, and reluctantly began looking around the beach, searching for a spot where he would be able to sit down, and calm restless Turnip-head without disturbing someone.

He spotted a tent, and wandered towards it absently, assuming it was empty.

As he got closer to the tent, the baby was beginning to whimper, and Charlie wandered in with his head down, muttering quietly to Turnip-head. He snuggled Turnip-head closer to his chest, smiling at how he turned his tiny head towards the steady rhythm of Charlie's heart.

He looked up just as he entered the doorway of the tent to see Boone lying on the bed, looking up at him awkwardly. Charlie looked harder and realized that Boone was hugging a redheaded bump. A girl.

"Is that Danoso?" he asked timidly.

"Yeah," Boone whispered, smiling at her head. "She woke up yesterday and started spitting blood, but she's fine now… I hope…" he added quietly to himself. He kissed her gently on the back of her head. "And look, about what happened back at the jungle…"

"Yeah, what was that all about?" Charlie asked. It'd been four days since Boone had shoved Jack and given the Others Danoso's location. But now he was in her bed, holding onto her tightly. He'd had no time to get all the facts, his hands full to the brim with taking care of Turnip-head and Claire.

"It's a long story…"

Charlie walked around the bed to the chair that was conveniently positioned by its head. "Good thing I've gotten bottoms of time then," he said, sitting down in the chair. He placed Turnip-head on his lap, half-supporting him with his arms. He then proceeded to making himself comfortable.

Boone looked at the figure in Charlie's arms and couldn't suppress a grin. "Is that…?"

"Claire's baby?" Charlie grinned as well, and leaned forwards so that Boone would be able to see clearer. "Beautiful little thing, isn't he?" he said proudly. Turnip-head was dozing peacefully, curled up against Charlie.

Boone observed the baby, marveling how much it had grown in less then a week. It seemed like forever since he had watched Jack pull the prune-resembling baby from Claire. "He does look a lot cuter without all that gunk hanging off of him," Boone finally admitted.

Danoso shifted restlessly beside him, her head settling down on his chest. The motion broke the moment, and Boone found her hand under the blankets and held it, weaving his fingers through hers.

"So, about this story… Better be bloody good," Charlie warned. Boone sensed that he was still bitter about the events in the jungle.

------------------------

"How's it coming?"

Kate looked up and dropped her shovel unceremoniously onto the ground. She walked over to Jack and examined her handy-work while accepting an open bottle of water.

"Well-," she said, somewhat deflated at how little her and Locke had actually accomplished. "It's coming…" Jack laughed, and she looked up at him.

She took a sip of water, tilting her head back, maintaining the eye contact.

"What?" he asked finally, suspicious. She had the plotting glint in her eye.

"It's just that, we need more people. With just John and me digging, the excavation's going to take forever…" she sighed, looking again at the shallow indent her and Locke had created after hours of slaving over the bland dirt.

Jack watched her face change with a sudden thought.

"Is she…" Jack nodded quickly. He didn't have to ask, because he knew that Kate was referring to Danoso.

"She should be fine. I checked in before I left the beach, and I'm going to check in the second I get back," Jack reassured.

Kate nodded, handing the bottle back to Jack, who promptly took a sip from it. "So I see you've finally converted to the beach life-style," she teased.

"Well, I'm planning to move her to the caves as soon as she gets good enough to move." Kate shook her head. He placed the water bottle into his bag, and put the bag on the ground.

"You know I'm going to help, right?" he said, smiling.

"I knew you would," Kate answered smugly.

"So why are we digging this thing up again?" Jack asked, catching the shovel Kate had tossed at him.

Kate sighed and started digging. "Because Locke seems to think that there might be a door somewhere under it."

"Of course he does," Jack muttered dryly, but nevertheless began digging silently beside Kate. After a while Jack looked around, noticing that Locke had been absent since he'd arrived there. "Where is he anyways?"

"He went to go get us some food. We've been working on this thing non-stop, which is the reason I can't understand why the hole isn't getting any deeper…" Jack could tell that she was frustrated. He looked to where she'd been throwing the dirt and noted with amusement that she had been throwing it into an already made shallow trench.

"Are you sure you haven't been shoveling dirt into already made holes?"

Kate looked behind her and noticed for the first time that Jack's words may have had some truth to them. "Yeah…" she muttered, her cheeks reddening slightly. From then on, she made it a point of looking at where she threw her dirt.

They slipped into a comfortable silence, quietly working, enjoying each other's company. The sun rose higher into the sky, and Jack slowly moved away from her, inch by inch, digging around the outline of the hatch. He was the first one to break the silence.

"You know what I've always wondered?" Jack asked, waiting until Kate looked up at him before continuing. Sweat was dripping down her face, as he was sure was his. She leaned against her shovel, looking at him.

'Why there were shovels on the plane anyways. I mean, fire extinguishers, okay. A zillion hunting knifes, okay, they were checked. The marshals guns, they were checked too. The fireworks and the axe are kind of questionable, but why shovels? Were they actually found anywhere near the wreckage?"

Kate walked over to Jack's bag and removed the bottle of water, taking a sip before answering him. "Didn't Scott or Steve find them in the jungle someplace a little while ago?"

Jack regarded her. "Scott died a long time ago, Kate."

"Oh…" Kate was surprised that she forgot. Maybe she didn't know everyone as well as she had thought. "Then it must have been Steve." Kate shrugged it off and tossed the water to Jack, who almost dropped it.

"Smooth," she teased.

"Yeah? You think?"

"Mmhmm," Kate agreed conceitedly. She walked past Jack who watched her keenly and began digging. Not five seconds later, her face was dripping with luke-warm water. She gasped, wiping her face off with her arm. She stared at Jack, feigning shock. It wasn't often that his playful side came out.

"Sorry," Jack grinned, holding the half-empty bottle. "Couldn't resist."

Kate walked up to him, giving him the angriest look she could muster. "Yeah, well…" Jack's grin dropped as she came closer to him. Her face was dripping with water, her shirt soaked. She looked just a little pissed.

"Kate-" Jack started, but she grabbed the bottle of water and tipped it so that it poured down Jack's front. She was too short to get it up over his head.

"Take that," she said, smirking, fighting the reflex to stick her tongue out.

"Consider it taken." Jack turned the bottle over Kate's head, trying to get her with whatever was left. She dodged out of the way, jogging a safe distance, out of Jack's throwing range, the water trickling harmlessly to the ground.

"I bet you can't catch me," she challenged Jack with a singy-song voice.

Jack raised an eyebrow and grinned, dropping the empty bottle. "I bet I can," he replied, taking off after her.

Kate squealed and ran around the tree she'd been standing by, Jack hot on her heels.

-------------------------

_Kate pulled herself lower to the ground, hiding beneath the bush, pretending she was playing a game with Tom._

_Capture-the-Flag she decided. They were in the dense Australian forest behind their school, playing with a couple kids from their class. Just like they did after school every other day._

"_Katie, where are you?" _

_Her mind easily morphed the voice, playing it higher then it really was, taking out all of the anger. _

_It made the words perfectly articulated, the "r" rolling. She was the best at Capture-the-Flag, she reminded herself. No one could ever catch her. _

_Size 10 steel-toe boots came and went, passing dangerously close in front of her._

_Just the kids, she reminded herself, looking for intruders, developing a plan amongst themselves to capture her teams flag. She was on enemy territory now, and she couldn't afford to get caught._

_She waited a couple more seconds, making sure that the kids were gone. Taking a deep breath, she lifted herself carefully to a crouching position. She looked around quickly, making sure that he -- that no one would catch her. _

_  
She hesitated, and then stepped forward quietly, avoiding the pile of dead leaves to the left. _

_An owl hooted in the distance. _

_Crickets created their music, and water steadily flowed between rocks and debris on its way to the pond. _

_  
Kate took another tentative step. _

_This game she would win, because she already knew where the flag was. She just had to get there safely. _

_Pumping herself up silently, she counted to three. Then she booked it. She ran as fast as she could, her surroundings a continuous blur. She ran as quickly as her legs could carry her, pushing herself to go even faster. To squeeze some more gel out of the toothpaste tube. She saw the flag --the lights welcoming her. She was going to win this time._

_She shot up the stairs of the old porch, ignoring its creaks of protest, whipping open the screen door. She'd gotten to the flag without getting captured. She grinned childishly at her victory, opening the inside door. _

_  
The door came easy. Kate froze when she realized that someone was opening it at the same time she was. _

_  
A moment of silence passed as the man at the door recognized whom she was. _

"_Katie," the man slurred, and Kate snapped out of her trance. She turned to run, but the man had already caught her wrist, and was gripping it tightly. She thrashed, attempting to loosen his grip, but he only laughed, her strength no match for his. _

_Kate struggled, his hand cutting off the circulation to her own. She struggled to escape, her mind no longer able to change his voice, no longer able to make it innocent and playful. _

"_Don't be hatin'… Katie," he grinned, still laughing at her pitiful attempts to throw him off. Kate fought harder, punching him with her free hand. He captured her other wrist, and pulled her into the house, slamming the door shut with his heel. _

_Her game had failed, and she had lost. Again._

_-----------------------_

Kate suddenly stopped running, and Jack ran full into her, tackling her to the ground, falling beside her.

"Caught you," he breathed, his face red, trying to catch his breath, holding onto his ribs tightly. He wasn't the world's best runner, not by a long shot, and not compared to Kate. He caught sight of her face, knowing immediately that something was wrong.

"Kate?" he asked, focusing his attention on her. Her face was pale, and she was barely breathing, like she was trying to hide from someone.

Kate remained silent, thinking. The memory was so vivid in her mind, like a nightmare, playing out over and over again. All her life she'd been running. If not for fun, then from home, from Tom's death, from Wayne, from the law, from everything. Why had that memory, that particular memory, come back now?

"Kate." She heard for the first time Jack calling her name, and she blinked her eyes, noticing that Jack had moved from beside her to over her, looking down at her.

"You okay?" he asked, concerned. His eyes searched her face for clues, his hand tucked reassuringly in her hair.

She stared up at Jack's face, so troubled and protective, and felt her fears weaken. She was no longer a defenseless teenager, helpless to protect herself. She was out in the middle of the jungle, with Jack. One glance at him, and everything seemed better; less scary.

Kate looked at him, and then nodded slightly. She didn't want him to be worrying about her and her age old memories when he already had too many things running around in his mind. She knew that if she wanted too, he would listen and comfort her, and that was good enough for her.

"Are you sure?"

Kate couldn't help but laugh. If only he knew. "I'm sure."

He got off her, and sat on the ground, not entirely convinced. She'd dropped the subject too quickly, and he wanted to help her through whatever had happened. He noticed a cut on her cheek, and took her head in his hands. Kate felt her skin tingle from the contact.

"I'm fine Jack," she reassured him, sitting up and taking his hand from her face, holding it in hers.

"Kate-"

"It's just a little cut, don't worry about it," she said before he got a chance to finish. She just wanted to forget about everything. She was safe as long as Jack was there.

Jack shook his head. "What about-"

"Jack." He stopped in the middle of his sentence. "I'm positive," she told him firmly. His protectiveness was boarder-line annoying, but she found it endearing. He didn't press the subject, and she leaned in closer to his face. He brushed away a lingering curl of hair.

"Kate?" he whispered quietly.

"Yeah?"

They leaned in closer to each other; so close that Jack could see the black flecks hidden in her eyes, freckles dotting the bridge of her nose.

"KATE!"

They both groaned inwardly, and sat back on their feet, letting go of each other's hands.

"I'm over here, John," Kate called out, annoyed.

Locke came out of the bushes, his face emotionless as he noted their spots, kneeling on the ground. "Hope I'm not interrupting anything," he apologized monotone.

"It's okay," Jack sighed, getting up with a grunt, and then extending his hand down to Kate. Kate took it without hesitation, holding it longer then necessary.

Locke began to look a little uncomfortable, his usual confident demeanor instead shifting uncertainly from foot to foot. "I'm going to go work on the hatch…" he trailed off.

"I'll come," Kate offered, following him into the jungle, giving Jack a shy wave.

Jack waved back half-heartedly. He sighed. Something had scared Kate bad right before she stopped running, and Jack wanted to find out what it was. He hadn't pushed it at the time, she seemed so scared he let it drop, but now his skin crawled with curiosity. Whatever was making her upset; he wanted to help her with. He wanted to tell her not to worry, that everything would be fine.

That nothing would happen to her, because he was there for her.

---------------------

Jack watched Danoso sleeping peacefully in Boone's arms. She had been restless throughout the night, though never reaching a point where she woke; heavily restricted in her movement due to her injured leg. Her tiny body fit smoothly into Boone's as they both faced him, eyes shut and peaceful looks floating on their faces. Boone had his arm around her, holding her hand tightly, never letting go. Although she was much smaller then him, he had his head nestled in her neck, holding her close to him.

Jack wondered if this was the beginning of something. He made a mental note to himself to ask her how old she was.

What disturbed him the most was how much dry, caked blood was soaked into the sheets. There were flakes falling out of Boone's hair whenever he moved, and the blood that had soaked into the pillow had begun to crack.

Dirt covered his arms, and he itched to go and wash it off, but stayed where he was. The excavation of the hatch was coming along slowly, Kate and Locke there right now, working on it.

_Kate. _

Jack smiled at the thought of her. It bugged him that she hadn't told him what was bothering her, and he wondered why. Was it that she didn't trust him?

He yawned unexpectedly. Everything had been so crazy the past 24 hours that he hadn't gotten a chance to close his eyes and get some shut-eye. The yawn started a domino effect, and soon his eyes opened for the last time, before he drifted off into a sleepy oblivion.

-------------------------

Danoso woke up slowly, stirring from the sounds of the daily happenings of the beach. People could be heard chatting, yelling and laughing, completely oblivious to all the troubles that had occurred. She'd somehow turned during the night, so that her back was now pressed against Boone's front, his head nestled in her neck, her hand entangled in his, both resting on her hip.

She opened her eyes, the top of her head peeking out from under a blanket. Jack was sleeping in what looked like the most uncomfortable sitting position she could image. His body was covered in dirt and sweat, which made her wonder where he'd been and had been doing before. People on the island got dirty, but Jack looked downright ridiculous. He even had dirt in his hair. The hand that propped up his head slipped, and he fell forward, luckily waking up before hitting the ground. He looked around quickly, embarrassed, checking to see if anyone saw his fall. He looked at the bed and saw Danoso's eyes watching him.

"Hey," he said softly, surprised, but smiling. The light was strong, and he could see that she was awake.

"Hey," Danoso whispered back, only able to do that much. Her throat felt dry and cracked, like she hadn't had anything to drink in ages.

"You feeling okay?" he asked. He moved closer to her, looking into her eyes for any signs of illness.

Danoso shrugged. "What's with all the blood?" she asked, her voice growing stronger.

"You got sick. Does this hurt?" Jack asked, pushing down on her stomach. Danoso shook her head. "Do you remember anything?" he questioned.

Danoso studied Jack. She remembered something, but what she wasn't sure what it was yet. Something tugged at the corner of her mind, begging to be remembered. It seemed like so long ago, and when she looked into Jack's eyes, she could feel the realization drawing closer.

She vaguely remembered a framed picture among other things; a picture that looked like it was crying.

"Do you have a son, Jack?"

Jack froze and stared. The question came out of nowhere. It was too random not to be significant.

Jack swallowed the strange lump in his throat.

"Thirsty?" he asked, completely changing the subject. He got up and rubbed his eyes with one hand while his other was busy finding water.

Danoso nodded, smiling her thanks. She hadn't missed Jack's sudden change of topic, but didn't have the energy to press it. He unscrewed the bottle, and Danoso gently pushed herself up into a sitting position, trying, but not succeeding in not waking Boone.

Boone was alert in a flash, wrapping his arms around Danoso's body and pulling her towards him. Jack and Danoso both looked at him with wide-eyes. It took a second for him to realize what he was doing was a little odd, and he loosened his grip a little.

"Sorry," he muttered, smiling sheepishly. "I thought you were falling-" he explained, a yawn escaping.

Danoso leaned against his chest, smiling. "It's okay."

Boone looked over to the chair Jack had occupied. "Where did Charlie go?"

"Charlie?" Jack looked at him curiously, as though he was the one who'd gotten hit on the head.

"Yeah, he was here with… Claire's baby, and I was explaining what happen back in the jungle… Sorry about that by the way," Boone smiled apologetically, and Jack shrugged. He didn't really want to think about it.

"So did you find out anything from…" he gave Danoso a sideways glance, "them?" he finished.

Danoso looked curiously up to Jack, who gave her the bottle. "No, I didn't," he answered. He _really _didn't want to talk about it. A minute of silence followed, the only sound Danoso gulping water noisily.

"Slow down," Jack ordered after a few seconds of watching Danoso drink. He tipped the bottle back. "You're going to send your system into shock."

She rolled her eyes, and tried to shift closer to Boone, but stopped, grimacing. "What's wrong with my leg?" she asked, removing the bottle from her lips. The cool water felt good, refreshing her body. She leaned forward and took the blanket off, Boone's arms still wrapped loosely around her waist.

"I think you might have a torn ligament or two… I really don't think that you should look-"

An unreadable expression crossed Danoso's face as she stared at he yellowing green bruise. There was thin orange stitching keeping a gash together, and it had swollen to twice as big as her other leg. She searched for a word that would describe it. She settled on, "ew."

"Ew." Boone mocked, his voice high and squeaky.

"Shut-up," Danoso laughed, clearing her throat and removing his arms. She used her hands to move away and awkwardly swung her uninjured leg off the bed. Jack grabbed her arm with his hand before she could go any further.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"To the bathroom…"

Jack bit his lip. This was a conversation he'd wanted to steer clear of.

"What?" Danoso asked, alarmed that he was even considering not letting her leave the bed.

"You can't walk." He hoped that she would read between the lines.

Danoso laughed, perhaps relieved. "Yeah, but Boone can carry me."

"What? Um…" Boone looked worried at the idea; alarmed he'd been pulled into the conversation.

Jack still looked doubtful. "I'm not sure that…"

"Jack, I'm going to have to go pee eventually."

"Right," Jack could feel his skin warm. She didn't have to be so forward about it. I'm a doctor, he reminded himself, and I'm not embarrassed of this kind of stuff. "Let me bandage your leg first, and then you can go…"

"To the ladies room?" Danoso supplied, grinning at his discomfort.

"Yeah, that." He pulled out two fairly built sticks each with a fork end, one somewhat longer then the other, and a length of twine. "This might become a little uncomfortable," he warned. He had to keep the leg straight, set in the same place. Back in LA, he would have someone operate, most likely a resident, and reposition the muscular tissues. Here he only had luck on his side, hoping that the ligaments hadn't gotten too torn and twisted from the impact.

Danoso watched in semi-fascination as Jack positioned the sticks, the short one on the inside of her leg, the long running up the outside, along the hip, stopping around her midriff.

"Sawyer chopped the notches on the bottoms so that we could keep them stable," Jack explained, gently forcing Danoso to lie down. He took a thicker piece of rope and tied it around the longer stick, then positioned that so it would become secure around her waist.

"Move your leg as little as possible, the ligaments might shift if you jolt it. I don't want you leaving unless you need to use the bathroom. If you do, get someone to help you. After a couple days, we'll take these off and wrap something around your leg so its not as confined. Make sure you eat a lot of fish because you're going to need your ribosome's to create plenty of protein so your ligaments can reattach with each other." He explained this while tying the two sticks together with the twine, firmly but gently. Danoso had found Boone's hand somewhere along the way and was squeezing it every time Jack tightened a knot.

"Boone, do you have that cane I asked you to make?"

Boone stared at Jack; vaguely remembering making something that, despite all his hopes, looked nothing remotely like the sleek canes found in local drug marts. "Somewhere, but its kind of… loopy like."

"That's okay." He returned his attention to Danoso. "After about a week, I'm going to have you start walking a little bit. You're going to get someone to help you at first, then gradually, -_gradually_- work your leg so that you can walk just using the cane. What we don't want is the muscle tissue to reform and then get weak, but we also don't want to strain it enough to make it worse. A week should give it enough time." Jack finally looked up, done tying the odd contraption to her foot.

"You're not to walk on it until I say otherwise. Understood?" he stated firmly.

"Yeah, I get it, you don't have to worry about me." What ever Jack had done to her leg had worked. It stabilized her leg, making it stiff; unmovable even if she tried.

"I know, I just have a feeling that you'll change your mind once you've been stuck in here for a couple days." He'd seen too many restless people with boundless energy to know that Danoso would most likely disregard his warning and try to move around too soon.

"Mhmm," Danoso answered, wondering how long it would take her to go crazy. She was already going insane, knowing that she wouldn't be able to leave, sit up and much less walk around. This was going to suck. Boone got out of the cushioned bed and took Danoso in his arms. Although he was smaller then Jack or Sawyer, he held her body confidently, all 100 pounds of it.

"Lead the way," he said, laughing as she looked up at him annoyed.

"Oh, shut it."

TBC…

**-LOST-**

**Cohen101**

**A/N: Just in case anyone was wondering, Jack and Kate's backgrounds are going to vary a little bit then they did in the show in the following chapters. R&R plz!**

**Thanks to all that reviewed the previous chapter! **


	15. 15 Alone

**15.15 Alone**

Danoso awoke to the sound of dull thumping. She opened one eye slowly, already tired. Finding she had turned during her catnap, she twisted around, finding Sawyer sitting close by, pounding on something crudely with a piece of wood.

"Mornin'," Danoso muttered, struggling to contain a yawn.

"I see Sleepy finally decided to wake up," Sawyer commented, placing whatever he'd been working on down, and getting up to walk over to Danoso. "How'r you feelin' kiddo?" he asked solemnly, crouching down so he could be level with the cushions-on-top-of-a-metal scrap of plane that served as a bed.

"Tired," Danoso answered truthfully. "Where's Boone?" she asked casually.

Sawyer studied her face for a moment longer. She was pale, but the color was slowly returning to her face. Sawyer moved a strand of her hair away from her face, and answered, "Grumpy went to go look for something in the woods."

"Jack?" Danoso bunched up her pillow sluggishly with her fist, and hazardously sat up against it.

"Doc and Happy went back to the caves for something or another. Code talk for experimenting with the hatch. Soon as he comes back 'm good as gone though," Sawyer said bitterly.

"So have you officially appointed yourself Snow White of the Island or something?" Danoso asked, ignoring the tension she sensed in his tone. She understood that Kate was happy, and she felt sympathetic for Sawyer, knowing that he had liked Kate just a little, and regardless of what he said, was a tiny-bit jealous of Jack.

He thought for a moment, not understanding what she'd just said, or what he'd just said to make her say what she'd said. "Oh!" he exclaimed, finally clueing in. "Good one," he muttered sarcastically, running his hand through his hair. "Complete with the white dress and poisonous apple. Oh yeah, Jackass told me to make you eat this if you woke up." Sawyer took the coconut bowl from the foot of the bed and mixing up whatever was inside with a knife. He stabbed a piece of melon with the knife, and lifted it up to Danoso's mouth. She opened it, and he gently placed it inside. She closed her mouth on it, and he slid the knife out, and speared another.

"You tell anyone about this, and you die," Sawyer warned threateningly. Danoso knew he was joking, but promised all the same. She found that it was difficult getting the piece of melon down, and laboriously chewed it.

Sawyer lifted another piece, this time of something green, up to her mouth. "I'm not hungry," she pouted, finally able to swallow.

"Yeah, we'll, yer outta luck. Jackass said eat all of it, you're gonna eat all of it whether you like it or not," he said, placing the fruit into her mouth. "But he didn't tell me I couldn't help you," Sawyer grinned, popping a yellow piece into his mouth. Danoso smiled despite herself, and battled against the current bit in her mouth.

Sawyer felt himself smile. He didn't know why, but this kid did something to him, made him want to make her smile, to make her laugh. It wasn't like with all the women he conned, he would never do that to her. It was something deeper. Something that made him want to keep her safe. He enjoyed being with her, and felt protective over her. But he wouldn't ever admit it to anyone.

**-----------------------**

Claire peeked her head into the oddly erected tent, her beautiful baby boy smiling up from her arms blissfully. Danoso was propped up in the bed, an odd assortment of blankets, clothes, pillows and cushions keeping her up. Her leg sported the weirdest looking 'thing' she'd ever seen, and she was talking animatedly to Sawyer, who looked anything but interested.

Half a coconut was lying lopsided on the ground at the far side of the tent, a knife embedded in the earth beside it, a squashed melon fused into the dirt not far away. Claire decided not to ask about it.

"Sorry, am I interrupting something?" she pardoned as she entered the tent. Sawyer looked up at her thankfully. He'd taken to staying with Danoso when Boone and Jack were not around, believing that she couldn't ever be alone, making it his personal mission to see that it would be done that way.

"Yeah, please," Sawyer, answered, shooting from his seat and bolting out the flap now that someone was there to keep Danoso company. But he didn't leave without a quick, "C ya later, kid."

"What was that all about?" Claire asked, laughing at his eagerness.

Danoso grinned at her. "Apparently Sawyer would rather be reading books then have them explained to him."

"What book?" Claire asked, genuinely interested.

"Have you ever heard of The Poet, by Michael Connelly?"

Claire searched her mind for anything that sounded remotely familiar.

"It's a homicide novel," Danoso added, trying to help.

"No, I don't think I have, sorry." She was surprised. Danoso didn't look like much of a reader to her, especially a reader of murder novels.

"Don't worry, it's a good book…" she scrutinized Claire. "I won't bother you with the details, but it's awesome. Read it sometime if you get the chance." She noticed the blue blanket in her arms and bit her lip. "Is that him?" she asked shyly.

"Yeah, it is." Claire answered, immediately knowing whom she was referring to. "You want to hold him?"

Danoso looked terrified of the prospect, but Claire placed him in her arms all the same. "Hold his head like that," she instructed, moving Danoso's hand a little. She was stiff as a board, extremely scared that she would cause the baby to fall or hurt him somehow.

"Relax a little, he'll get fussy if you're all tensed up."

Danoso tried to relax, deadening her arms, but Turnip-head, as Charlie had dubbed him, took in a huge gasp of air, and promptly started crying softly.

"Claire-" Danoso muttered panicked.

---------------------------

"_Can I see 'em mommy?" Danoso asked, standing on her tipsy-toes in an attempt to peer over the crib. She grabbed the handle on the dresser beside the crib, trying to give herself an extra inch or two of height. Finding that she still couldn't see into it, she looked back at her mom, who was talking on the phone in the hallway._

"_Mommy?" she tried again. She ran up to her, tugging on her pant legs. Her mother glared at her and pushed her away, not even pausing in her conversation._

Danoso pouted for a couple seconds, before an idea started formulating in her mind. With her mother still on the phone, she ran back into the room and pulled open the drawers of the dresser, creating a sad looking ladder. 

"_Mommy?" she tried once more. But her mother was gone from the hall, so Danoso turned to the dresser and started climbing the drawers._

_  
She pretended that she was a lion, just like Simba, and she was climbing a rocky ledge so that she could get to the top and find her friend. She'd teach him how to fight and roar, and together they'd battle off evil lions and hyenas, and no one would ever be able to stop them. She kept climbing, slipping at times from the rocks that crumbled under her weight. But the danger was all part of her task. She finally reached the top, placing two hands on the edge of the crib, standing on all fours. _

"_Roar," she said playfully, laughing. She stopped when she looked down. A tiny head immersed in blankets peered up at her, his cool blue eyes staring up in wonder. Danoso turned her head, mimicking the lions she'd seen in the movie. She reached down to paw at him curiously, before losing her balance and falling into the crib on her back. _

_Still pretending to be a lion, she got up quickly, back onto all fours. Her thumb had gotten caught on something when she fell, so she licked off the blood cautiously. The baby's lip quivered, and she crawled over to him and sniffed him curiously, the cut already forgotten. He stared at her for a few seconds before he screwed up his eyes and started bawling. _

"_Grrr," Danoso tried snarling at him in attempt to get him to stop making noise, but strong hands wrapped around her waist and lifted her up and over the crib wall. _

"_What did you do? Why is Ryan crying?" her mother shrieked, picking up Ryan and trying to coo him. _

"_But we were just playing," Danoso said, looking up confused. She tried to figure out what she'd done wrong, but her mother took her hand and lifted her so that she was standing. _

"_You're bleeding!" she exclaimed, ever the drama queen. She examined Danoso's finger while bobbing Ryan up and down gently in one arm. _

"_It doesn't hurt," Danoso answered, still wondering why her mother had freaked out. _

"_What were you doing in the crib?" she asked, ignoring Danoso. _

"_I was just playing…" Danoso muttered, tears beginning to form in her eyes. She had no idea what she'd done wrong, and now her mommy was mad at her. _

"_You aren't allowed to play in Ryan's bed, you might hurt him. I don't want you going near him, okay?" _

_Danoso's lip quivered, and she nodded. How was she supposed to know that she hadn't been allowed to play with Ryan? She'd tried to get her mothers attention, but it hadn't worked, so she assumed that it would be fine. "But I just wanted to play," she whispered. Her mother ushered her out into the hallway, still bouncing Ryan. _

"_Well, you can't play with babies, because you'll always hurt them, okay? Go get Alison to bandage that up for you, and go watch TV or something," she said dismissingly, shutting the door in her face. _

She stared at the door for a couple minutes, sucking on her cut thumb, waiting to see if it'd open. She reached up and rattled it lightly, but her mother had already locked it. 

--------------------------

Danoso had never been good with children. She'd only started taking care of Ryan well past his 9-month birthday, little babies like Claire's frightening her. "Claire, you better take him, he doesn't like me." She kept her arms where they were, afraid of dropping Turnip-Head.

"Nonsense," Claire assured, confused why Danoso was so afraid. It wasn't like he was going to bite her or anything. "Just, bob him up and down gently. He's just tired Danoso… Gentler, gentler, there we go…" Danoso smiled as Turnip-head quieted down, closing his lids gradually. She loosened up her arms, molding them to the baby's body. Her discomfort lessened a little, and she felt a twinge of affection for the little boy.

"He knows your not going to hurt him," Claire said, taking a seat next to her bed. "I wouldn't have given him to you if I didn't trust you."

Danoso smiled at the words, holding Turnip-head in her arms. She glanced up at Claire, surprised to notice for the first time dark circles under her eyes. "Claire, you tired?" Dark circles were very rare, the islands inhabitants having what seemed like endless boats of time.

"I'm fine," she answered without hesitation, the automatic respond well rehearsed.

Danoso laughed, not fooled for a moment. "Claire, when was the last time you slept?" she asked.

"Don't worry about me, I'm fine," Claire reassured her. Danoso stared at her, and they both knew Claire was lying. "I'm just… worried, you know? What if something happens to him? If he gets sick or something…" Claire bit her lips.

"Don't worry Claire. He'll be fine. He isn't going to suffer if you sleep for a few hours. Just…" Danoso glanced down at him, and then back at Claire, sure she could do it. "Leave him here for a couple hours. He's already asleep, and he'll be asleep for some time."

"But I don't want you to be alone with him…" Claire paused, and then realized that it must have sounded like she had no faith in Danoso what so ever. She tried re-phrasing it. "It's just that, you can't really walk, so how will you get hold of me if he needs me?"

"Sawyer will be here with me, and if not him, someone else. Don't worry about it Claire, just go. Go on a walk with Charlie, go suntan, go have a nap, go shoot boar if you want. Just relax, okay? Everything'll be fine."

"Are you sure that you don't mind?" Claire didn't want Danoso to feel as though she was being forced into anything. She'd really no intention of dropping the baby on Danoso and then leaving.

"Yeah, I'd love to take care of him for a little while."

Claire looked dubiously at her, remembering how stiff she'd been when she'd first held him. She seemed to have relaxed, and was in fact now holding him just like she did, resting his head in the nook of her arm, instead of using her hand.

"Are you-"

"Claire. Go." Danoso said firmly, and Claire left the tent, but not without a backwards glance or two.

----------------------------

Boone walked into the tent, just as Claire was leaving. She kept glancing back at the tent as she walked father away, and Boone found himself wondering what Danoso had done to her. He saw Charlie meeting Claire halfway, and then them both looking back.

His curiosity sparked, he wandered into the tent.

"What was that all about?" he asked, stopping when he noticed the bundle in her arms.

"I took Turnip-head away from Claire so that she could get some sleep. Boone, please, don't leave me." She was regretting her decision more and more as time went by. She didn't know what to do with a baby. They were so tiny, so easy to hurt, so defenseless against the world. The responsibility of protecting just a fragile youngster frightened her.

Boone was about to laugh at the tone of insecurity in her voice when he saw her face. She looked truly afraid, and he walked over to her, taking out a beaten up black leather wallet. He settled down onto the bed beside her, saying, "I don't know why I carry that thing around anyways," offhandedly. The baby was fast asleep in her arms; his face snuggled into the fabric of his blanket.

"Looks to me like your doing just fine," Boone said smiling, putting a hand reassuringly on her uninjured leg.

"Just, stay with me. I don't want to hurt him."

Boone shook his head, not understanding where her uncertainty was coming from. "Danoso, why do you think you're gong to hurt him?"

Danoso thought for a moment, but couldn't place her finger on it. "Just promise you won't go," she pleaded, and Boone nodded.

"Don't worry about it, I'll stay… But I know Claire wouldn't have left you with her baby if she hadn't trusted you."

"She wasn't thinking straight," Danoso answered. She shifted Turnip-head so that he was lying on the bed beside her, the blanket still draped around his small body.

The two stared at the sleeping infant for a couple minutes, both lost in their own thoughts. Boone's hand had left her leg, and found her hand. He was about to put his fingers through hers when she pulled away.

"Could you fill up those water bottles? I'm kind of thirst." Her eyes stubbornly stayed glued to Turnip-head.

Boone looked at her curiously, thrown off. Had he done something wrong? Danoso finally broke and smiled up at him. He covered up his puzzlement in a flash, smiling as well.

"Sure," he said, gathering the four bottles and fleeing the tent before the awkward atmosphere became too much. Was he wrong to have wanted to hold her hand? He'd always been a romantic guy, loving to show his affection to the girl of the day. But Danoso seemed more then just a girl to him. Maybe it was because they were stuck on an island, but he felt a connection to her. He couldn't help but wondering, what had he done wrong?

------

Danoso gazed at Turnip-head, wondering what she was doing. Boone was a good guy. It wasn't like he was unattractive, hell; no one on the island was unattractive. The plane was filled with extraordinary amounts of good-looking people, and sometimes she wondered if they were all secretly underwear models, bound for the same photo shoot in LA. She took a moment, fantasizing what that show would look like, Boone's voice just outside the tent tugging her mind back into reality.

"What am I doing?" she asked Turnip-head, who gave her no sign of coherence. "I'm crazy, aren't I?" She listened to Boone's voice fade away, and wondered what had sidetracked him. He still had her water, she realized in dismay. She turned back to the baby, adjusting the blanket around its tiny figure. It didn't stir, and Danoso checked its breathing just incase.

Leaving her hand on his chest, her eyes wandered lazily around the tent. Already she was itching to go outside, run around, and do something except sleep in a bed all day. But Jack's instruction and the tool attached to her leg made her hopelessly hopeless. She gazed around the tent, and noticed a folder. She remembered seeing it earlier, and tried to stretch towards it.

She stopped after she almost toppled clear of the bed.

Deciding to explore something a little less dangerously obtained, she grabbed Boone's bulging leather wallet off the little ledge he'd placed it on. What the hell did he keep in it?

"Hey kiddo."

Danoso smiled at the voice. Trust Sawyer to be there when no one else was. He came closer and sat in the lounger someone had erected one of the many times she'd been asleep.

"Hey, where'd you disappear to before? I wasn't done talking," she teased him, abandoning the wallet, watching in satisfaction as his eyes darted to the door and back to her. "I'm kidding," she said, beginning to get dizzy from the motion.

"What you got there?" he asked, nodding to Boone's wallet.

"It's Boones," she said, pawing through the numerous cards. It seemed that Boone was a pack rat. There was even an outdated library card from '96 in it. She stopped at his drivers license, the date reading '84.

"Ahh," Sawyer muttered knowingly. "Wasn't he just here a couple seconds ago?"

"Yeah, but I asked him to get me some water, so he left… But I honestly don't know where he disappeared to; he should've been back by now."

"I think I saw Shannon round him up and lead him away to somewhere."

"Oh…" Danoso's face darkened. She knew that Shannon was his sister, but unlike a lot of other people, she also knew that they weren't sibling by blood. And that Boone had a thing for her. And she had a well-disguised thing for Boone… and that they certainly _did_ have a history together.

"Can you pass me that? I can't reach," she said, discarding Boone's wallet.

"What the hell is it?" Sawyer asked, passing it to her.

She ignored him and studied the cover. It had CONFEDENTIAL stamped over it, and it was torn and muddy, streaks of brown and green incasing it. The numbers 4 8 15 16 23 42 were stamped across the bottom of it in black ink. She opened the flap, and a loose piece of paper drifted out onto the bed. Sawyer grabbed it and read it, while Danoso examined a sticker of the American coat of arms. The paper had covered it, and she could see that it had been somehow held in place with some type of adhesive. Despite the protection, edges were partly peeled away. She looked closer at the sticker, noticing that there was half a letter showing. Careful not to disintegrate the folder, she peeled off the sticker, which came surprisingly easy.

"_P/Ws:_

_4 8 15 16 23 42"_

"Sawyer, what does P/W mean?" she asked finally, after studying the numbers. Why were the same set of numbers both on the folder, and under the sticker? And why was there an American sticker on it?

"Uh…"

"Thanks," Danoso muttered sarcastically, "that really helped." She turned her attention to the rest of the folder, which held stacks upon stacks of papers. Pushing P/W and the numbers to the back of her mind for the time being, she began looking at the documents, speed-reading.

The first batch of papers had a picture of Sawyer stapled onto a contact information sheet. She skimmed through it, noticing that it stated that Sawyer wasn't Sawyers first name. A small shiver ran down her spine.

"James?" she asked, intently looking at his face, trying to determine whether or not Sawyer would react.

Sawyer froze in the middle of reading the scribbled on manifest. There was that name again. "How do you know that name?" he asked darkly. It was the second time she used that name.

No body called him James… James had long ago died.

"That's you, isn't it? You're James…" she stared at his face closer, and saw the faint similarity to the boy with sandy hair she'd seen in her dreams. Being with Sawyer almost constantly helped her pick out some of his habits. Some were bad, others were funny, but there was one that was subject to her constant silent inquiry.

At night, or during the day, whenever he assumed she was asleep, he would take out a letter. The letter was soft, beaten and soiled by years and years of temperament, written on paper ripped from a scribbler. A uncharacteristic fleck of sadness would fill his eye, as he read the letter over and over again. The hair in her photo was cut shorter, but there was the same sad fleck in his eye, covered up by a well-practiced mask she'd seen Sawyer carry once he realized she was awake.

"How'd you know that name?" he asked again.

Turnip-head showed signs of stirring beside her, but Danoso ignored him, needing one more question answered. "Whose Alexandra?"

"No one. Don't know her." He abruptly stood, throwing the sheet of paper, which landed perfectly onto the folder. "Don't know anyone by that name." He turned and left the tent, Danoso unable to follow him.

But she knew. Alexandra wasn't anyone. Her heart started beating faster. She'd seen something change in Sawyers eyes at the mention of her name. Sawyer knew who she was. But the oddest thing was that Danoso felt like she knew who she was as well.

-----------------------

The tent was silent as Kate sat by the bed, watching Danoso sleep. Claire had come to pick up her baby, finding Sawyer in a foul mood camping right outside the bed. They was she told it to Kate, Sawyer had wanted to stay hidden from Danoso's view, while still being able to be there if something happened. She thought that they might have had a fight about something.

She stared at Danoso's face, wondering if anyone noticed if she'd died. Her breaths were soft, so soft that only the minimal amount of blanket rose and fell. It seemed as though she wasn't breathing at all. She had learned to deal with the odd-looking mechanism Jack had tied to her leg, and in turn moved very little in her sleep.

Kate heard a low whine, and slowly looked up, familiar with its tone and level.

-----------------------

"There, there, calm down." Kate stroked the nose of the black mare, muttering into her ear. The horse snorted angrily, shaking its head. Kate pulled away, hurt. 

"_You don't understand. I _have _to do this. You'll be far away from it, don't worry. You know I've tried. I've tried everything. I HAVE to do this," Kate buried her head in the horse's mane, the thin, soft black hairs tickling her tear-spilling eyes. The horse gave a sigh, leaning her head into Kate's back. _

"_I'm sorry I have to leave. You understand, don't you?" _

_  
The horse snorted, and then whined softly. Kate smiled, shaking the tears away, knowing she'd understand. Some people thought she was crazy, but the mare was a part of her. She felt like the horse understood her in ways that no one else could… not even Tom. Because the horse would always listen to her, and Kate would never have to worry about being judged. She backed up and out of the spacious pen, closing the door softly behind her. _

"_I'm doing what I have to…" Kate whispered, before turning around and walking out of that barn. Her mother was out; she'd gotten a late-night shift at the dinner she waitresses at. And he… he was out, due to arrive whenever he so pleased. _

_She walked around to the front of the house, surveying the tore insect nets and flaking paint._

_She walked up the steps of the age-old porch, remembering all the times she'd run up them as a child. _

_She sat down, the porch creaking in protest. She was no longer a helpless little girl, who couldn't take care of herself. It was time for payback, payback for her entire life. _

_  
But she knew she had to do it. There was no other way._

_She sat on the porch for hours; playing with a lighter, not quiet believing that she was going to do. _

-------------------------

"Kate, can I ask you something?"

Kate turned around; Danoso's eyes now open. "Hey, how you feeling?" she asked. When she looked behind her, the horse had gone; either padded away into the jungle, or non-existent from the start. She crawled over to Danoso and automatically moved some hairs away from her face in a motherly fashion.

"Kate," Danoso laughed, "I've been fine for the past two days, and I'm still fine." Her face grew serious as she asked again. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure," Kate answered, rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet impatiently. She looked behind her, checking to see if the horse was there.

"Are you a felon?" she asked in all seriousness.

Kate stopped rocking. "What?"

"Are you?"

Kate stared at her. Where had the question come from? It seemed random. But it was too random not to mean anything. And the way she asked it innerved her. Like she knew that she was, but just needed her confirmation. Who had told her?

Kate tried to laugh it off lightly, though she knew her hesitation was enough for Danoso. "Where'd you hear that from?"

"No one, I was just wondering…" she dropped the subject, sensing that Kate was uncomfortable. She'd already gotten all the information she needed, so it was pointless to continue. Kate was a felon, was the simple fact. It didn't bother Danoso, Kate had done nothing remotely violent or manipulative with the intention of hurt to prove that she was one.

Suddenly she was a little unsure of herself. If Kate was in fact a felon, did that mean that Charlie had a brother? Was the boy in the crying picture Jack's son? She couldn't remember anything that happened after the explosion, just little pieces of dreams. But if Kate _was_ a felon, was Hurley really a lottery winner? It would explain Sawyer reaction to her questions, why she felt like she knew whom Alexandra was.

Were her dreams really dreams?

"What airline were we traveling with?" she asked, her mind wandering.

Kate was startled, quickly answering, "Oceanic Air." "Why?" she added as an afterthought.

Danoso either ignored her, or couldn't hear her. Kate stood patiently, watching her fiddle with a torn corner of the thin blanket Sawyer had covered her with when he was sure she'd been asleep.

Danoso was trying to piece together the fragments floating around her head.

"_It's been a month now since Oceanic Flight 815 crashed. Experts say that even if the passengers did survive, there would be no hopes of survival for this long. The search has been brought to a halt, and my prayers go to those who were involved in this tragic…."_

Her dreams weren't dreams. They were as real as their situation was, although she didn't know why or how it was possible.

Her heart began beating in her ears as she realized;

They really _had_ given up finding them.

Any string of hope that she'd had was ripped away from her all at the same instant, the pain made worse by the fact that she knew she would never see anyone she loved again. That she would never see Ryan again. Suddenly she was hit with the mass of a train; the comprehension that they were all alone, isolated on a perilous island, thousands of miles away from the help of any other human being.

And they had no chance of being rescued. That they were completely, and utterly…  
alone.

TBC…

**-LOST-**

**Cohen101**

**A/N: I think I'm going to start putting these at the bottom of the chapter now. I hope you guys enjoyed it, it's the first chapter in a huge plot line, revolving around… well, can't tell you. I think you'll like it though. All ideas are mine, and even though they may in some way be similar to the ideas on Lost, know that I though of them first. Well, they probably did, but I thought of them before I saw anything. **

**Sorry for the delayed update, next one should be up… in a shorter amount of time. Can't promise anything though :( **

**Thanks you all who reviewed, and I hope that anyone who's reading and isn't reviewing will do so, cause its AMAZING FUN! ……….**

**So yeah, please R&R! It really means a lot.**


	16. 16 Beats

**16.16 Beats**

Something about shoveling bothered Jack.

Maybe it was that however many heaps of dirt he moved, the hole never seemed to grow any bigger.

Maybe it was that his muscles were beginning to sear in pain, and his back was beginning to ache from hours of relentlessness.

Maybe it was that Kate seemed so good at it that it made him wonder about her previous life.

Maybe it was that he knew, subconsciously, that by digging this hole, that by unearthing the hatch, something was going to happen that would rip from them the safe environment they'd been dwelling in. Something would happen that would panic all the survivors, even the ones that were blissfully ignorant of all going on.

But in his heart he knew what it was that bothered him about shoveling.

The rhythmic lifting and throwing reminded him so much of the footfall of a person to whom it seemed like they had the weight of the world on their shoulders.

A footfall he'd heard echoing throw the halls numerous times in his dreams.

And once for real.

------------------------

"Common Jack, do it!" 

_The band of drunks started a chant, and Jack couldn't' help but grin. It was hilarious watching Silverman and his buddies' drunk. _

"_Jack," Mark shouted, his hearing clearly affected by the alcohol. "Just do it buddy, she won't say no." _

"_But what if she does?" he whispered worriedly, hoping Mark would get the hint to quiet down. He shoved his hands into his pockets. _

_  
"What's not to like?" Mark continued, just as loud. "You are handsome, twenty, and you have a GPA of 4.1. Plus you're rich. What's there not to like?" _

"_I'm not rich," Jack muttered furiously, shoving him away. His dad was rich, but he wasn't. _

"_Do it Jack. If she doesn't go out with you, I will." Jack stared at the random guy, who was wide eyed and had clearly enough to drink. _

"_Uh…" _

"_He'll really do it," one of Mark's friends muttered into his ear, "he came onto me month before last." _

_Jack scrunched his nose from the smell of his breath, and started walking towards the girl, just to get away from them. He didn't know why he hung out with them. His only friend out of the group was Mark, whom he'd had ties with since elementary school. Now they shared a dorm -Mark was studying for a major in international law- and Jack spent most of his time with his nose in the books, while Mark was more the sociable one, out until the late of the night. Occasionally he'd drag Jack along, like now, and was how he first laid his sights on the pretty girl he was walking behind. _

_She had long maroon hair, lusciously done, curls bouncing on her shoulders teasingly. She was with a group of friends' -girls always traveled in packs it seemed to him. He didn't even know her name, but she made him melt. Now all he had to do was figure out a way to get to talk to her. One of the girls turned around, quickly glancing at him. _

_She turned back, whispering something to another girl, and Jack realized he'd been staring at his crush's butt. He quickly turned his eyes down, following them inconspicuously._

_He could casually bump into her and ask her what her name was… But one of her friends had already seen him staring at her, so that wouldn't work. _

_He could pass them and then drop something. She might reach to pick it up, and then he could ask her what her name was, start talking. But that would look odd, probably too played out. _

_  
He could ask her if she knew where Mark was. True, they were in the middle of the city, she probably didn't know who Mark was, and if she did, she'd probably seen him hanging out with him when they passed. _

_He could steal her purse… But that would just make her hate him, and probably get him arrested. _

_  
A car squealed to a stop right in front of him, and Jack realized he was in the middle of a street, walking across the cross while the light showed a firm solid red hand. _

"_Move it ass-hole!" the grandpa in the car shouted, fingering Jack through the window shield. Jack resisted the urge to finger him back, and instead ran to the other side of the street. The car speed off behind him. _

_He looked around; finding that he had not only lost himself in the city, but had also lost the girl and her gang of friends. Feeling oddly deflated, he resolved to just go home (if he ever found it), stick his nose in some books, and never go out with Mark again. _

_  
He was walking past a restaurant, drowning in his misery, when a girl ran out of the doors and barreled straight into him. He nearly toppled over, and grabbed the girl by the arms before she plummeted into the gutters. _

"_Whoa, sorry!" she squealed, and Jack smiled at her pleasant voice. She turned around and Jack froze. It was the girl he'd had his eye on, the reason he was lost. _

"_Wha…" Jack's mouth failed him. _

"_Thanks for catching me," the girl said shyly. She waited for Jack to respond, but he stood there like a moron. _

"_My names Lauren," she said, smiling. She waited a couple seconds, Jack only aware of the fact that he was still holding onto her. "Yours is…?" _

"_J-Jack." He wasn't sure how he got the word out._

She flipped her hair back, and bit her bottom lip. "Uh…" she looked down at Jack's hands. He followed her line of sight, and released her immediately. 

"_Sorry," he mumbled, and she giggled. _

"_It's okay," she answered, smiling. She spotted something behind him, and ran away from him. He stayed where he was, following her with his eyes. She bent down and picked up a hat, then headed back towards the restaurant._

Jack stood frozen, finally speaking up when she glanced back, giving him a last look. "Hey! Lauren!"

She stopped, and turned around. "Yeah," she asked, smiling. 

"_Um… I was… Uh…" she stood there looking at him expectantly. Jack stopped talking, and gave his mouth a second to get itself straight now that she was looking at him. "Sorry, I don't do this a lot." He ran his hand through his hair nervously, and then shoved both his hands into his coat pockets. _

"_Uh…" he stared down at his shoes and started playing with loose gravel with the tip of his shoe. "I was uh…" he looked up at her face. She was biting her lip, trying unsuccessfully to suppress a grin. _

_Jack lost his nerve. "Forget it, never mind," he muttered, disappointed in himself. He started to walk away when he felt her grab his arm._

"_Don't. Sorry, what did you want to say?"_

_She looked so innocent, but Jack knew that she knew exactly what he wanted to do. And she knew that he knew that she knew. And- _

"_Jack?" she asked, smiling at him pitifully. _

"_Do you wanna, uh, have dinner, or uh, or something?" he tried not to look too hopeful, hoping she would be able to understand what he'd said. He was having trouble understanding what he'd said. _

"_I'd love to," she answered without hesitation. "Hold this," she said, passing him her hat. She stepped closer to him, and put her hand in his front pocket. Jack sucked in his breath, becoming rock solid still. He was positive his heart stopped beating for a second. _

_Lauren didn't seem to notice Jack's reaction, and pulled out his cell phone. Jack breathed a sigh of relief, wondering how she knew it was in there and stared at her until she finished inputting her number. _

"_Call me tomorrow," she whispered, placing his phone back into his pocket, running back inside the restaurant. _

_Jack stared after her for a couple of seconds. _

_When he got back to his flat, Mark passed out on his bed, he noticed he was still holding her hat. _

--------------------------

"JACK!"

Jack snapped out of his trance, stopping his shovel in mid-air.

"Jack, are you okay?" He turned around to see Kate looking at him concerned.

"Yeah… yeah, I'm fine." He wiped his arm over his head, swallowing hard.

"You sure?" Kate asked, coming up to him. She draped her hands on his hips, and he smiled, dropping the shovel. "You were digging like a mad man," she stated, laughing.

"Well, maybe I am," he answered, cocking his head. Kate laughed, and all thoughts of Lauren and his daydream flooded from his head.

"Jack, can I ask you something?"

"Nope."

Kate stared at him for a moment before she realized that he was kidding. "You ass," she laughed, hitting him lightly.

He caught her wrist and twirled her around, releasing her at the end of the rotation. "What?" he asked, laughing as she tried to catch herself.

"Has Danoso asked you anything… weird, lately?" Jack studied her face, wondering what had happened. He remembered Danoso asking if he had a son… but that was about it. Which come to think of it, was weird.

"Yeah, actually, she did. Why?"

"What did she ask you?"

Jack quickly looked away and picked up his shovel. "Why? Did she say anything about me?"

"No, but…" Kate trailed away, and sat down, leaning against a tree. She gathered up her courage, hoping what she said won't sound silly. "It's just, she asked me if I was a… felon."

Jack stopped shoveling and looked up. He knew Kate didn't care she was a felon, but on the other hand was emotional about what she had done to be labeled a felon in the real world.

"And the thing is," Kate said, thinking it better to get everything out while Jack wasn't laughing. "It's not like I care or anything, just… You didn't tell her, did you?"

Jack shook his head, "No, I don't remember saying anything."

"So then… did someone tell her? Cause I asked her if anyone did, and she said that she didn't hear it from anyone. Do you think Sawyer told her or something?"

Jack shook his head once again; watching while Kate killed herself trying to get to her point. "Why would he? Sure, he's a jerk, but why would he tell her?"

"That's the thing. If no one told her… then why did she ask?" Kate fiddled with her hair. "Did I…"

Jack almost started laughing. But held it in for her benefit. "Kate," he scolded playfully. "You haven't done anything that would make her think that." He dropped the shovel, and walked over to her. "Her heads just a little messed up from the accident."

Kate nodded, smiling. "Did you just dumb that down specially for me?" she asked, giggling. Jack came closer.

"As a matter of fact I did…" he trailed off. She pushed Danoso's question out of her mind, squealing as Jack lifted her up and threw her over his shoulder.

"JACK?"

They both groaned as Kate slid off Jack.

"JACK! I found something!" Jack raised his eyebrow at Kate.

"JACK! COME HERE!"

"He must be excited," Kate whispered, and Jack pulled her closer.

"Why do you say that?" Jack asked, whispering in her ear.

Kate laughed, Jack tickling her ear. "Why else would he be calling you?"

"JACK!"

Jack groaned. Locke was so annoying sometimes. "Lets ignore him," he suggested, pulling her down on top him.

"Jack…" Kate weakly protested, bending down to kiss him.

"JACK!" Locke shouted, becoming more and more frantic. Jack stubbornly ignored him.

"JACK! and… Kate…"

Kate pulled away and rolled off Jack, standing up. "Yep," she said casually, if a little nervous. Jack looked up at her. So she decided that it didn't matter if Locke knew. That was fine with him. It'd sure save a lot of trouble in the future. Kate stared at Locke, daring him to comment.

"It's the hatch. I think we've found our way in. If you'll just follow me…" he trailed off, quickly resuming his demeanor. He turned and beckoned them to follow him into the forest. Kate followed him promptly.

Jack lay on the ground for a little while longer, cursing Locke. Yet another reason to add to the things he didn't like about him. He seemed to have radar that went off whenever Jack and Kate were together. At least he was one person Jack was sure wouldn't tell his and Kate's secret. He reluctantly got up, following the long gone Kate and Locke.

--------------------------

"Wait, wait, wait… he found what?"

Jack patiently took Danoso's hands off his and put them by her side. "He found a door."

Her hands automatically moved again, preventing Jack's from touching her leg. "To the hatch."

"Yes," he said, repeating the motion.

"What kind of door is it?" Boone asked, leaning in closer sitting by the bed. A haggardly made cane leaned against his seat. Danoso glanced at him awkwardly, the tension between them still present. She moved her hands back.

"It odd. It has a number pad on it, and," Jack pushed Danoso's hands back, glaring at her, "and we don't know how deep it is yet. They're still digging it up."

Danoso moved her hands back. "By they you mean your girlfriend and Locke, right?"

Jack straightened up and sighed, frustrated. "Okay, first of all, Kate is not my girlfriend," _I don't think_. "Second, keep your hands still or I'm gonna tie them together and _make_ you keep them still."

Danoso looked down guilty, pulling them back. "Right, yeah… sorry." Jack bent over her leg again, and one of her hands automatically went out to block his. Boone caught it in mid-air and held it. She looked over to him and he shook his head silently.

"So do you have to enter a code to get in?" he asked.

"That's what Locke thinks, but he's going to dig up all of it just to be sure." Jack worked on the knots that held the two sticks in place. Danoso watching him in semi-fascination.

"Be careful," she said, his hands undoing the knots closer to her injured knee. He was doing a wonderful job in being careful, but she felt the need to address it.

Jack caught the wrist of her other hand, and held it, glaring at her.

She bit her lip. "I have no idea how that got there," she said truthfully.

"Do I _need_ to tie it back?" Jack asked, irritated.

"I got it," Boone said, holding both hands, ignoring their continuous twitching. "So do you know the code to get in?" he asked.

"Not yet, but we know that there's some type of password you need in order to open it."

"How do you know that it's a code you need?" Danoso asked, watching Jack's hands intently.

Jack stopped what he was doing and Boone let go of her hands. They both stared at her.

She looked up. "What?" she asked innocently.

The ominous click of a guns safety sounded behind Jack's head, startling him. What the hell? Jack turned around slowly, not knowing what to expect.

"Scared ya, didn't I doc?" Sawyer grinned widely, chuckling silently.

Jack shook his head furiously, and made a grab for the gun.

"Whoa, don't be goin' and touchin' my piece."

Jack got a closer look at the gun and recognized it as one from the suitcase of guns the deceased Marshall had brought on the plane. The one whose key got taken away from him when he was taken by the Others.

"How'd you get that?" his suspicions climbing.

"Next time you decide to run amuck in the woods, don't leave you're precious key lying around."

"Sawyer, how'd you get that?" he asked with more force.

"You deaf? I found it lying 'round somewhere in the woods. You should really take better care of your things, Jackass."

"Sawyer, I didn't lose that key. It got taken from me when I got kidnapped. _Someone_ took it from me."

"What, now your accusing me of kidnapping you? Why would I do that?"

"Sawy-" Danoso tried to interrupt, but Jack cut her off.

"I'm not accusing you of anything, though it's pretty suspicious how you're jumping to those kinds of conclusions yourself!" Jack stepped up to Sawyer, locking eyes with him.

"Jack-"

"I ain't jumping to no conclusions, doc. Anybody with a ear and a eye could tell what you meant by that." Sawyer came closer to Jack.

"Why are you getting so defensive now?"

"STOP IT!" Danoso yelled. They both glared at each other, until Sawyer broke eye contact and instead turned to glare at Danoso. "That's enough, out of both of you!"

"Well, if he wasn't being such a fu-"

"Sawyer, don't finish that sentence!" she warned. Surprisingly, Sawyer listened to her and in turn gave her a huge boost of confidence. "What the hell is wrong with you two?" She turned to Jack, continuing her rant, "Jack, do you realize you were practically accusing Sawyer of helping the Others? He's on our side for Gods sake, and he wouldn't do something like that. Don't take your anger out on him, even if he's being nitwit. You know just as well as I that he's harmless."

Sawyer looked as though he was going to comment before Danoso cut him off. "And you! What the hell were you thinking coming in with that gun? Have you been in the sun too long or something? It wasn't funny or amusing in anyway. You're _both_ being idiots, sucking each other into this stupid standoff thing like stupid men. You're not accomplishing anything except proving to Boone and me that you're both morons. Find some other way of dealing with your anger, cause your not helping anyone by this."

"I'm sick, I'm tired, I'm hurt, and I've had enough of yelling for one day! Just try to be civil to each other, as a favor to me if nothing else… Please?"

Jack stood silent for a little while taking what she'd said in. He didn't know why he was so irritable today, but she was right. He shouldn't have taken it out on Sawyer. He quietly politely asked, "Sawyer, where'd you find that key?"

Sawyer glared at him. "Why would I tell you when you're being so rude 'bout it?" As much as he hated being told off by a minor, he knew she was right. Even though Jack was pretty much the root of his problems, he should have kept a cool head and prevented it from escalating. "I found it in the drinking pool in the caves," he sigh.

Jack turned his attention back to Danoso, and finished untying the cloth that held the two sticks steady. He took them away, and opened the bandaging that kept the cut covered.

"Is it… supposed to look like that?" Danoso asked, squeezing Boone's hands for reassurance from the sight.

Jack ignored her worries, knowing himself that it looked fine. "Sawyer, can you get me some water?" he asked, knowing Boone had his hands full with keeping Danoso's hands out of his way.

Sawyer turned around to get the bottle of water Jack was referring to, "Whatever you say, Frosty." Danoso rolled her eyes while Jack just stared at him.

"Frosty?" he asked, taking the bottle from Sawyer. Before Sawyer could give his explanation, Kate walked into the tent.

"Here, I brought you some… dinner…" Kate trailed off, looking around. "What's going on here?" she asked curiously, maneuvering her way to Danoso's side.

"We're havin' a party Freckles, and Junior's servin' nice cold beer," Sawyer answered instantly. "Don't tell me ya can't see the balloons!"

"What… balloons…." Kate asked, looking around wondering if it was her or Sawyer that was going crazy.

Sawyer customary grin widened, watching Kate actually look for balloons. "Ya can't see 'em, can you? It's a pity, I gottem custom designed just for you. They're-"

"Grow up," Kate retorted before Sawyer could get carried away. "Here," she said to Danoso, the bowl hovering just above her stomach. She looked questionably at Boone's grip on Danoso's hands, and then over to her open cut.

"I'm naturally twitchy," she provided, wiggling her hands out of Boone's and taking the bowl. She looked into it and scrunched her nose. "Kate, I have a bum leg, not baby teeth."

Kate shook her head and looked around for a place to go that would provide her with more personal space. The tiny tent was packed full with only five people. "It's some fish that Charlie and Hurley caught for you."

"And the yellow stuff?" Danoso asked, poking at the bowl.

"Ah- it's…. just eat it."

"But Kate, it looks like vomi- OW! Jack!"

"Sorry," Jack muttered off-handly, dabbing the cut with a water-soaked cloth.

"Whate- OW! Jack, seriously. What the hell are you doing?"

"Can you move your leg up a bit?" he asked, placing down the cloth.

Danoso moved her leg up, bending it as far as she could at the knee. "Like that?" she asked, and Jack put his hands under it, keeping it up. He bent it a little more, and Danoso bit her lip. "Ow," she protested quietly.

"Just hold on for a little while longer," Jack encouraged. "Kate, can you pass me those bandages?"

Kate handed the bandages by her side over without a word.

Jack straightened Danoso's leg and began wrapping a soft, firm layer around her knee. "You can either use the crutches we found on the plane, or the stick Boone made. Whatever you choose, I'm trusting that you'll be careful on it. By that I mean no recklessness. I don't want you falling down and getting more hurt."

"How often have I gotten hurt?" Danoso asked disbelieving. Jack gaped at her as she thought about it for a second. "Okay, fine. How often have I gotten hurt when it was my own fault?"

"That's not the point. You know you're like, a magnet for injuries- you and Boone both. Just be careful, that's all I'm asking."

"I'll try," Danoso said, smiling softly. It was nice to have someone care about her enough to tell her off about hurting herself. Jack returned her smiled and then turned to Sawyer.

"Sawyer, about the guns," Jack started.

"My God, I though we were over this!"

"Over what?" Kate asked Danoso, confused. Danoso shook her head and let out an exaggerated sigh.

"Can you take me to the case?" Jack asked, and Sawyer nodded after a second of thought.

"Can I come?" Danoso asked, surprised that another argument hadn't exploded from Jack's question.

Everyone in the tent answered in union, "No."

---------------------------

Everyone had long ago left the tent, most going to see where the case was, and from there probably to ponder the mystery of the hatch.

Danoso swung to the side of the bed, her uninjured leg hanging off the edge. She picked up the crutches Sawyer had brought for her, opting for their guaranteed safety, as opposed to Boone's 'stick'. Maybe she would use it later on, when it could snap, and she would still be fine.

She stood shakily on her good foot, unfamiliar to the feeling of actually being upright using her own muscles. She leaned all her weight on the crutches, and leaned forward. She'd only been on crutches once in her life, the only thing she could really remember being how annoying they were.

Using the crutches was okay, sometimes they'd get messed up in the sand; either they would sink into it too much, or she'd forget to lift them high enough and they'd run into a mound of it.

She'd only seen the inside of the tent for the majority of the past couple of days, and she was eager to get out and explore. The further and further away from the camp she wandered, the less people she saw; the darker it was. She spotted Charlie- strumming his guitar gently to no particular rhythm, his eyes gazing at the sky.

She slightly altered her direction, almost succeeding in tripping herself in the processes. The closer she got to Charlie, the more she noticed how beaten his body seemed, how sad the notes he was hitting were.

Before she got to him, he dropped his head to the sand, and placed his guitar by his side. But he didn't turn around.

"Hey," she whispered, seating herself next to him hazardously, leaning her head back on the sand once she was settled.

"What are you doing here?" Charlie asked, his tone somewhere between depressed and scolding. "Does Jack know how far out you are?"

Danoso bit her lip, thinking about Jack. He told her not to do anything reckless, but this wouldn't be considered as reckless… until she got hurt. She decided not to answer him, and instead said, "It's crazy, isn't it?"

Charlie hesitated a second before answering. He wasn't in the mood for a nice little chitchat, but part of him wanted to know where it was going, and what she would say. "What's crazy?" he finally asked, taking the bait.

"How bright the stars are out here… Back in the city- at least, where I lived, the lights masked out the stars so bad you could barley see them. Here, there's so many, cause there isn't any artificial light to drown them out. It's beautiful."

Charlie didn't know what to reply to that, so he stared at the stars reflected off the oddly calm ocean, noting that they were, in fact, really beautiful.

"What are you looking for?"

Charlie snapped his head to face her. "What do you mean, what am I looking for?"

"I mean," Danoso, said calmly, "what are you looking for? Why are you looking at the stars? Did you suddenly remember something? Or do you feel bad about something?" To her it seemed that whenever someone was upset, or confused, they would look to the sky, the stars, for help. Like it somehow held the answer to all their problems, like it could fix everything. Just like Uncle Charlie's brother had.

Charlie looked at her. Really looked. She'd been odd, ever since she'd woken up. He seemed to be around the tent she used whenever something weird came up. It was like she knew something that the rest of them didn't. Like she knew something about him that he didn't.

A sudden rush of anger surged through Charlie, and he pulled off his shoe in one fluid motion. Danoso looked questionably at the motion. Charlie reached inside the shoe, and took out a little baggie filled with powder. He handed it over to Danoso wordlessly.

She took it with a tentative hand, and opened it up. She put in a finger and licked it.

Shaking her head at Charlie, "Have you…?"

"No," Charlie answered, ashamed. The feeling disappeared. "Haven't used it for about a month now. But… I want to." If she didn't know everything about him before, she certainly knew something no one else did now.

"Have you told Claire?" she asked, thinking of the baby. Charlie had become something of a father to him, and Claire didn't seem to have minded. But she wasn't so sure Claire would have the same attitude if she knew about this.

"No." He looked at her, silently pleading.

"I won't tell her," Danoso reassured.

"Well you should," Charlie answered bitterly. "I deserve it. I'm just a worthless piece of-"

"Charlie…"

"No!" Charlie interrupted, "I deserve it. I sodden deserve everything I get. I've already lost my brother because of it. And all he was trying to do was help me. Even though he was the one who first got me into it," Charlie said bitterly. He stopped for a moment, and when he started speaking again, his tone softened. "But then I realized. I could've bloody stopped anytime I wanted to. None of it was his fault, but I blamed it all on him. And now- he's probably going to hate me forever… and I never got a chance to say that I was sorry."

"I bet you anything in the world that he doesn't," Danoso whispered.

"And how would you know that?" Charlie asked, beginning to get angry again. This was what he meant by her acting odd- thinking that she knew everything.

"Charlie, he doesn't hate you. He probably thinks that you hate him. Thinks that it was his fault that you were on the plane that crashed."

"And how do you know that? How do you know that he thinks it's his bloody fault; that he won't hate me forever."

Charlie's voice was raising, but Danoso kept hers level. "Cause forever's a really long time Charlie. It's like the number of years it would take a tiny blue bird to bring down a mountain if just once a year, it flew by and brushed the tip of its wing against it."

Charlie stared at the sand, the words ringing in his ears.

"_I_ think you're brother loves you Charlie, and that he forgives you for whatever you think you've done." She got up awkwardly, her crutches in her hand. She slid them under her arms, and began walking away.

Charlie stared into the sand. His mind clicked, and he grabbed his guitar, scrambling to his feet. "Wait!" he shouted, grabbing Danoso's elbow. The sudden move caused her to drop one of the crutches, and she fell onto her back. Charlie dropped onto his knees by her, completely ignorant of the fact. "How did you know about that? That saying? Where did you hear it from?"

Danoso struggled to catch her breath, trying to ignore the stabbing pain in her leg. "Charlie," she said after catching her breath. "Charlie, you're brother loves you. Claire and the baby need you. Don't think you're worthless, because you're not. Not to us. You've been given a second chance, and you've got so much to live for. Start over Charlie, and forget about all of this. You have us now. Kick the drugs, and don't screw this one up." She took a deep breath, and miraculously got up again. She picked up her crutch, and tossed the baggie at Charlie. She hoped away from him, leaving him with an ocean's full of thought.

----------------------

"Are you sure it's here Sawyer?" Jack asked, agitated. They'd been wandering in circles for ages, the day already darkened into night.

"If you shut yer hole for a minute, maybe I'd be able to concentrate!" Sawyer yelled back at him, equally as agitated.

Jack was about to reply when he felt a hand slip into his and squeeze. He looked over at Kate, who was standing beside him, shaking her head. He sighed, and turned back to Sawyer.

Boone watched from behind, leaning against a tree, his arms folded. He'd raised his eyebrows when Kate had slipped her hand into Jack's, more surprised by the fact of how natural it looked. He wondered how long they'd been 'dating' if you could even date while stranded on a deserted island.

"Found it!" Sawyer yelled triumphantly. He turned around to see Jack looking at him amused, and muttered, "Not like I didn't know where it was before."

Jack let go of Kate's hand and walked over to Sawyer at the same time Boone pushed himself off the tree and did the same. He stood by Kate while Jack crouched down and fiddled with the lock.

"So how long?" Boone whispered to Kate.

Kate stared up at him confused. "How long what?" she whispered back, Jack and Sawyer bickering in the background.

"You and Jack. How long have you been… going out?"

"We're not going out," Kate replied sharply, her voice even softer. How could you even go out with someone on a deserted island?

"Yeah, right. Have it your way." Boone muttered disapprovingly. Kate shook her head, and returned her attention to Sawyer and Jack, who were _still_ arguing.

"Do you have a disability with opening locks that no one knows about Pete?"

"Do you have a disability with finding gun cases? Pete?" he asked after a moment.

"Oh shut up. Pete the Handyman…"

Boone's voice prevented her from hearing the rest of the explanation. "How long have you two been make-out buddies for?"

"We aren't make-out buddies!" Kate denied again. But the was she said it was enough for Boone. Sawyer saved her from a torrent of teases.

"There ya go, doc. You wanted to see a bunch of guns, you got it."

"Sawyer," Jack asked, "Did you notice this when you took the gun out?"

He pulled out a piece of paper, crinkled and yellowed.

"Sure as hell didn't," Sawyer muttered, taking the paper from Jack. Kate and Boone both looked over his shoulder to read the slip.

P/W: 

_password_

TBC…

**-LOST-**

**Cohen101**

**A/N: Thank you to all that reviewed last chapter. **

**I have to apologize to most of you- I rewrote the first chapter, and then accidentally deleted it instead of using the replace feature, so I had to repost all the chapters. Sorry if that caused you and inconvenience, but if you want, you can go re-read the first chapter and tell me what you think about it. **

**I hope you guys like this chapter, and sorry I haven't updated for such a long time. The show was up this week at school, so I had absolutely no time to do any work. No idea when the next chapter will be up, but it will come. **

**Thanks for reading, and as always, please review :)**


	17. 17 Pieces

**17.17 Pieces**

_The last thing she remembered was seeing Charlie through the tent, walking with Claire, Aaron in his hands. And feeling a bit sick. _

_Then…_

_Then she'd gotten up, and hobbled over to the tent… and met Sawyer. Sawyer told her to get back into bed, and she did. She asked him a question, but he wanted to know how she was. _

_Then…_

_Then,_

_**a drop of sweat rolled down her temple, and Sawyer pushed her back, "Maybe you should lie down." **_

_She remembered that, remembered nodding, but then Sawyer's face became blurrier and blurrier. Two hands pushed her gently back, and when they came off, an odd weight followed them. Something that had always been present, just something that she had never noticed. She could hear words, but they no longer made sense, all strung together, syllables left unpronounced. _

_The black figure of Sawyer- or was it Sawyer- resided momentarily, and Danoso was overcome with a forbidding sense of dread. She pitched herself over the side of the bed, dully noting the sharp pain from landing on her side. Darkness washed over her eyes and time slowed. The already blurry world slowly began to grow black, nausea burning at her throat, threatening to spill out the petite contents of her stomach. _

_There was heat on her back, and she wanted to half-heartedly moved away from it. It was one of them she was sure. Who was the last one she was with? "Sawyer," she managed to call out weakly. Where was he? And why were one of them in the tent with her? _

_Someone picked her up, her distance from the ground increasing, the darkness following it simultaneously. Her sluggish brain was trying to cope with the sudden attack, and she reached the conclusion that she'd been blindfolded. How else could her eyes be open, but still be masked in black? White began dancing against the black background, her chest rising and falling rapidly on it's own accord, far too rapidly for her liking. They had her again, and they would take her back. Take her back to there. She tried to roll out of his arms, call for Sawyer, do something, but the blackness became even worse. _

_She had to get away, had to get free. "Jack-" she managed to call out before she was sucked into a void of time._

_At first she didn't know what they wanted with her. One of them caught her while she was sleeping, and brought her back to their camp. They checked her for hidden weapons, and threw her in a small room. It was tiny and square, and she could hardly stand up straight in it. There were no lights. _

_For the first couple hours, she screamed and pounded at the door. But no one answered, and she eventually lost her voice. She resided into the farthest corner of the room away from the door and waited. Waited for them, waited for help, waited to die- just waited. _

_  
She decided right then and there that she wouldn't cooperate with these people. She was scared, but the anger of everything that happened made the fear go away. The anger dominated her body. _

_She jumped up when the door opened, and two guys came into the room. They were both fairly larger then her, and had to duck in order to stay upright. _

"_Get over here," one of the guys ordered, and she stayed stubbornly in her corner. He came closer. "I'm not a guy you want to mess with. Get your ass over here," he ordered once again. She stayed in her corner attempting a punch when he came close enough. _

_He grabbed her arm and spun her around, shoving her into the wall. Her feet left the ground and she groaned in pain, but he only pressed harder, holding both hands behind her back. "Hurry up Joe," he muttered, and she felt rope loop around her wrists, and then tighten, holding them in place. _

_She kicked out with her legs, and the man who had her pinned let her drop to the ground. She landed on her knee and her heel falling backwards awkwardly. "Joe" lifted her up by her arm and set her on her feet, turning her so that she was facing him. _

"_Are you going to behave, or do we have to do this the hard way?" he asked, nodding to the one behind her._

_A blindfold started coming over her eyes, but she moved her head away from it. "Bastard," she muttered. _

"_Joe" slapped her, and she bit her lip to keep from crying out. The man behind her managed to successfully get the blindfold on, but when he shoved her to start moving, she wouldn't budge. He grabbed her by the arm, and she couldn't resist his strength as he dragged her through the halls. _

_She woke up to the feel of rough arms and jolting movements, the refreshing smell of the jungle entering and instantly soothing her chest. She breathed deeply a couple of times, letting the air attempt to sort out her muddled brain. There was a calming moment before the chilling memory of the blinding sense of vulnerability returned. _

Where was she?

_  
Someone was holding her up, an arm under her knees and another under her back. It was one of them. She panicked; she was being kidnapped. The others were making their move. She started to twitch, small attempts at movement at first, but the twitches awakened her muscles, and twitches soon escalated into one continuous jarring jolt. Her captor had stopped, but she couldn't see anyone. Vomit once again slowly made its way up her throat, and she began to cough, someone holding her up, rubbing her back. The gesture soothed her subconsciously, but she knew better. It was an act of aggression. _

"_Get away," she moaned. They must have injected her with something. Her vision was almost all gone and her body was shaking. She continued to cough, but nothing was coming out. Someone took her hands and wrapped them around her body. If felt like she was hugging herself. _

"_Lookie what we have here," a cruel fully singsong voice whispered into her ear. The voice sounded familiar, but she couldn't place it. It didn't sound friendly. _

"_Leave me alone," she whispered, trying to get away. She felt a tingle on her arm, and saw a black shape coming towards her. She jerked, trying to get as far away from it as possible, but the hands kept her there. Kept her prisoner. _

"_It'll all be over soon," the voice continued, and her heart pounded in her head. _

_The shapes were coming closer, and there was nothing she could do. "I don't want to," she protested weakly. "I won't. I won't!" the words coming out stronger. She started to cough again, the air ripping at her throat and slowly tearing at it. _

"_It was all a dream. They were all a dream. It never happened," the voice said, and she shook her head. She couldn't buy into it. It wasn't all a dream. "You'll never see Sawyer again," it muttered, and the shapes were coming closer. Closing in, coming closer to her mind. She started coughing blood, the pressure becoming too much. _

_  
The shapes were slowly reaching their destination, and she fought against the other as hard as she could. "I'm not taking it!" she shouted, trying to wiggle away from her captors grasp. "It wasn't a dream!" she shouted, over and over in varying forms. They wouldn't take her away from this place. _

_  
They couldn't take her away from this place. _

_The other lifted her up into a standing position, and she flailed as he held her up. He continued to speak to her, and interrupted her every time she started. Soon not even she knew what she was saying, but the thought of protest fueled her brain, until even that mechanism gave way. _

_Her body quickly grew tired, the strain of fighting hitting her all at once. She became silent, and asleep within moments. There was nothing she could do then. She would just have to wait for help. _

_She was dragged through the halls, and eventually tied to a chair. All the fight had left her, her resolve to remain uncooperative dissolving. Anything had to be better then this torture. She knew that they could do worse, probably would. They were savages; she heard the screams as she was dragged down the halls; as she sat in her cell waiting for something to happen. _

_The room she was in was lit, well lit at that, the black of her blindfold becoming a bit lighter. She tried shouting for help, but no one answered her. _

_She tried moving the chair, but it was stuck to the ground, welded down or glued down. _

_She tried to get out of the rope that held her in the chair, but there was no extra space that she could wiggle through. _

_She tried everything possible to get away, but it was impossible. She was stuck, there to wait it out. When someone finally came, it was behind her, and it was accompanied the click of a gun, and the loss of the blindfold. _

_Her eyes stung in the bright room, the walls made from a reflective white plastic. Questions poured from her mouth, but the man ignored her, the gun in his hand while he scurried around the room, preparing for… something. _

_  
Another entered the room, and she looked at him. It seemed as though there was a sneer permanently etched into his face, and his eyes were a cold, cold ice blue. She directed her questions to him, but he had no patience. He took the gun from the smaller man and took two short steps, shoving it into her mouth. _

_She sat there, her eyes wide, with the small handguns barrel in her mouth. The steel was cold and gritty, and its foul presence tainted her mouth. The man threatened her, and then turned back around, calling to the smaller man. She had never been scared of needles, but the one that the man had was terrifying. _

_It was large, and it had a pale white liquid that sloshed around like muck in it. He turned the needle upside down, getting the air out. He held her arm tightly, and she watched helplessly as the muck was inserted into her arm. _

_  
It was painful, but she refused to let on her discomfort. The man rubbed the spot where the needle had gone in, spreading out the foreign liquid that now resided inside her body. Then he made her lick the needle clean, laughing when she poked her tongue. _

_And so begun her memories of the one man she loathed the most; Boonie. _

_The second time she woke, it was a snap. She was lying down, and there was a black mass over her. Everything was black, but this one seemed human, its outline was somehow protruding amongst the same color. "Where am I?" she asked. The object - human- came closer, and she balled her fists. It wouldn't do any good; she was too weak to fight. _

"_You're where you belong," the singsong voice returned. "He's coming, and together we'll do it." _

_She trying to contain the fear that she felt building up in her throat. It was already sore from coughing; it didn't need any more strain. "I'm not doing it," she said, but it seemed to come out as more words then just those four. She attempted a roll, but a muscular arm kept her where she was. _

"_You'll see." The other arm landed beside her, and she panicked. Just like before._

_It was happening just like before. And just like before, she was going to fight it. _

"_No." Again, it her mouth continued moving, though she couldn't make out the words she was saying. The other stayed there, resting his hand on her arm. She felt the weight. She could literally see the signal going through her arm and up her brain then back down again. She trying to pull away, but the grip was too strong._

She wouldn't go down without a fight. She started screaming and kicking, thrashing her arms. The other trying to speak, and she flailed as violently as she could. The other moved, and took up the position he had in the jungle. 

_He slid her hands so that they wrapped around herself, and she tried to shake herself free, knowing that it would fail. The others head rested on her own, and she was disgusted by the act. One leg twitched and the other throbbed, and she wondered if he had managed to undo all the healing that Jack had caused. Slowly her head leaned forward, until a sudden jerk got him off. She whipped her head back and heard a satisfying crunch, struggling immediately after._

"_Rachel!" the other said sharply, wrapping his hands tighter. _

_She stopped struggling. Where had she heard that name before? And why did it seem so familiar to her? _

_I'm not going to take it, she reminded herself. _

_I'm not, she added firmly._

**----------------------**

**P/W:**

**password**

"What does…" Kate craned her head over Sawyers shoulder to see the words properly. "That mean?"

Sawyer looked up at her. "You think we'd all be staring at it like idiots if we knew, Freckles?"

"Well, you'd be doing that no matter what it said."

"Do we really have to do this now?" Boone sighed.

"Oh, so your witty now? I see how we're gonna play this game-"

"Seriously, now?"

"Well, it's obvious what it means." Everyone looked at Jack, who was the only one who hadn't said anything. "Just, not what it applies to," he finished, and their expectant looks dropped.

"So then, you don't know what it means, right doxy?"

Jack glared at Sawyer. "It means, that the initials P-W are abbreviations of the word password."

"And how would you know that?" Sawyer asked.

---------------------

"Mark, if you ever want me to leave, stop playing stupid games and help me find something to wear!" 

"_They aren't stupid games, Jack, they're assignments for our English Literature class!"_

"_This one, the P/W, it means 'password' Mark." _

_  
Jack wandered over to the table where dozens of books were spread. They were all different sizes, colors, and all with minuscule font that needed a magnifying glass in order to be read. He sat down on the couch beside Mark, and looked at the laptop screen. _

"_What?" _

"_Literature class, Jack," Mark's girlfriend replied, crossing her legs from under the table. _

"_Right… have fun," Jack patted Mark fondly on the head, and Mark angrily swiped at it, "Mark, I'm looking through you're pants," he stated, not waiting for an answered, pulling out the drawer that held Marks pants. _

_Mark was about the same size as Jack, definitely not any smaller, so hopefully he would be able to find something to wear from his clothes. _

"_What is he doing?" Mark's girlfriend, Libby, asked. _

"_He's getting all spiffed up for his hot date tonight with Louise." _

"_Shut-up Mark," Jack called over his shoulder. "It's Lauren, by the way," he corrected, even though he knew Mark was teasing. He pulled out a pair of nice looking denim jeans. "I thought you said you didn't have anything I could wear." Jack held up the pants, letting them unfold. _

"_Uh, you can't borrow those," Mark muttered, his eyes wide. _

_Jack started undoing his jeans, completely forgetting that Libby was in the room. He pulling his pants off, and stepped into the jeans. They were a little loose around the waist, but they fit fine. "How do I look?" Jack asked. _

"_You can't borrow those," Mark repeated looking down, and Libby protested, _

"_But they look so cute! on him!"_

"_You can't borrow them," Mark repeated once again, firmly. _

"_Why not? Mark, they fit me perfectly." _

"_Cause, their my… butt pants," Mark was turning a fair shade of red by now, and Libby bit back a surge of giggles. "No one messes with my butt pants," he finished weakly. _

"_Mark… what the HELL are butt pants?" Jack asked, leaving them on, and attaching a belt. _

"_They- they, they uh… they make your butt look good okay?" he said, keeping his eyes down, unable to look anyone in the eye. _

"_They do?" Jack asked, craning his head to try and get a view of his buttocks. _

"_Yeah, they do." Mark said it as a challenge, and Jack looked up. _

"_Are you serious?" he asked. _

"_No," Libby answered for him after a pause. "Just take them Jack," she said, pulling herself onto the couch by Mark. _

"_But-" Mark protested, cut off by Libby's lips. _

_  
Jack shook his head, and grabbed his cell phone, wallet and keys off the table. "Night you two," he called, closing the door. They definitely wouldn't be getting any homework done today, that was for sure. _

------------------------

"Does it matter how he knows? It makes sense doesn't it?" Jack nodded his appreciation to Boone.

"But what the hell would we need a damn password for?"

"Maybe it's for the hatch," Kate thought out loud, and everyone turned to her. "Well, I mean, what else has a code lock on it?"

"But how would _they_ know about the hatch?" Jack asked Kate quietly.

Sawyer looked between the two of them before asking, "By _they _you mean the Others, right?" Jack nodded silently, looking down. He knew what was coming. "Didn't all them little Indians boys die when we blew up all their shit with the big ka-bang? How do you know it's from them?"

He was looking at Jack for a reply, but Kate provided part of one instead, "Some got away."

"I know it's them, Sawyer, because when they took me, they took the key. They're the only ones who had the key, and if you didn't put it in here, then they're the only ones that could've." Kate put a hand on Jack's back, and Boone raised his eyebrows. Had she just not tried to convince him that they had no relationship with each other?

Sawyer on the other hand glanced back and forth between Jack and Kate. Something had happened, but he wasn't exactly sure what yet. Not only was Kate getting all lovey-dovey with Jack, but also that Jack was being subdued. Which wasn't a normal characteristic of Jack.

"Let's say it is from the others, and it is a code to the hatch. Where would we find a password to it?"

"And why would they want it opened?" Sawyer added to Boones question.

----------------------

Danoso sat inside the tent, alone.

Her recent discovery of Charlie's addiction scared her a little. He said he'd been clean for the month, but if that was true, if he really didn't need it anymore, why did he have it? What was making him think about it again?

She watched Claire pass by the entrance of the tent, looking down and rocking the baby. Danoso smiled.

Claire was a natural, and loved the little baby boy more then anything. Her fear of being inadequate only added to her love, and made up for the things she didn't know. Everyone could see that Claire would do anything for the baby, and she always had people around her that were willing to help or give advice.

Claire turned around, rocking the baby gently. She knew that he liked it, because he would lie there contently, staring up at her peacefully, cute giggling sounds coming randomly from his mouth. She could just tell that he liked it. She heard him let out a sniffle, and made the motions bigger.

"Charlie," she called behind her, "Quite doodling! Common!" she laughed. Charlie abruptly snapped his head up, and jogged toward her. He hadn't realized that he was slowing her down.

"I'm sorry," he muttered, and Claire laughed again. Oh, he loved it when she laughed. The baby started shrieking in her arms for no apparent reason, and Charlie bent over him. He rearranged the cloth so that he could see the world around him, but it didn't seem to help.

"'Ello there little chap," he winked, tickling the baby's nose with his finger. The baby slowly abated his crying, turning it into high-pitched giggles.

The baby tried to grab his finger and he looked up at Claire, smiling. "I don't know how you do it," Claire marveled, passing the baby gently into Charlie's arms. "It seems like everyone knows how to take better care of him then I do."

Charlie looked up concerned. This was the first time that he'd heard these worries voiced, and he as well as the next person knew that it wasn't true.

"Claire," he reassured, "You're a perfectly good and able mum. I remember when I had to baby-sit my niece once, one of the neighbors ended up calling the police. They came to the house thinking that I was playing a sodden recording of a child screaming just to pee off the neighborhood. Said I was violating some noise regulation or something. You should've seen the old ladies on the street glaring at me… Had they're bright pink and purple bonnets all proper on top their heads. Didn't see them managing to shut the bloody thing up though. Don't get me wrong," Charlie defended himself needlessly. Claire was laughing so hard he had to raise his voice a bit to be heard. "I like the little devils, but sometimes I wonder…"

Charlie beamed as Claire laughed beside him, and they continued on their walk the baby in Charlie's hands. Charlie glanced into the tent Danoso sat in, and caught her eye. He looked down guiltily, looking at the baby.

Claire hung off his arm, and Charlie managed to give her a half-hearted smile. They both gazed at the baby, walking to nowhere in particular.

What was he doing? Was he really willing to jeopardize this for a little high? This could be his new high, he was sure of it.

"… I like it here."

Charlie only tuned into the last part of what Claire was saying, but he instantly agreed. "I like it here too," he muttered, smiling, looking out into the ocean.

He'd been given a second chance, and he was going to take it.

---------------------------

Kate took Jack's hand when they got to the caves and pulled him into the trees. Jack looked curiously at her, wondering where she was taking him, but followed regardless. They walked a little ways into the jungle, but soon Kate let go of Jack's hand and leaned against a tree.

"What's going on?" Jack asked.

Kate shook her head. She saw Jack coming closer, and she lifted up one of her hands. He met her palm, and let his fingers fall through hers. She felt a familiar heat on the top of her hip, and she smiled up at him, letting her hand drop, Jack still holding onto it. She leaned in to kiss him briefly.

Jack raised his eyebrow in question when she abruptly broke off the kiss. "What is it Kate?" he asked, backing off slightly, sensing she wanted a serious chat. She looked down and played with his fingers.

"Boone knows," she answered finally.

"Knows what?"

"About us."

"What about us?"

Kate sighed impatiently. "_Us_. You and me. He knows… what we've been doing."

A look of realization came across Jack's face, "Oh…" _That _us. Kate was playing with his fingers again. "Are you, okay with him knowing?" he asked quietly trying to look into her downcast face.

"I guess… I'm okay with him knowing… but I'm not sure I'm ready for everyone else knowing."

Jack nodded. He understood. He didn't want the entire population of the Island knowing about him and Kate, and bugging them about it. Which he knew would happen. But it was always all right to prolong the inevitable, right?

"I'll wait as long as you want," Jack answered, smiling, pulling her in for a hug. He played with her hair while she wrapped her arms around him. He kissed her lightly on top the head, resting his forehead against hers.

He was willing to wait as long as he had to for Kate.

He tipped his mouth forward, and gently lowered Kate to the ground, his arm around her waist. Kate giggled, and after a second put a firm hand on Jack's chest.

"Jack…" Kate bit her lip, but held back what she was going to say. He was so sweet, and everyday he would find a way to sweep her off her feet. Jack obliged to her touch and pulled away from her, but only so he could see her face.

"Yeah?" he asked, smiling.

She couldn't do it.

She kissed him again instead of saying the three words that she'd wanted to say for a while now.

------------------

Danoso sat on the bed, staring at the opposite wall. There was no one near her, and she was bored. Looking around, she spotted her crutches, and got an idea. She'd head off to the beach, and try to find Walt. He was in the process of teaching her how to play beak-gamma, or whatever the game he always carried around was called. Being stuck in the tent all day was making her feel a tad sick and stuffed up.

She got up, leaning down to pick up her crutches. The first wave of nausea coursed through her body. She sat down quickly on the bed, crutches in hand, and waited until it passed. She stood up, her throat suddenly very, very dry. Making her way around the bed, she convinced herself that she was fine, only overreacting.

She hit the door and cringed at the sight of Sawyer, who was slowly making his way to the tent she'd set up camp in. He was sure to send her off to bed in a heartbeat.

"Oh no ya don't Junior," Sawyer predictably started as soon as he got close enough, "Get back to bed."

"But Jack-" Danoso started even though she knew that Sawyer was pretty much right on the money with this one.

"I don't care what the good old doc said to ya, _I_ said 'get back to bed'," he blocked the doorway and Danoso glared at him wrathfully. She hobbled reluctantly back to the bed, Sawyer following close behind, shaking his head.

"What did you guys find?" she asked, venturing a conversation that steered clear of her and her health.

"How are you feeling?" Sawyer asked promptly, setting his feet up on the edge of her bed.

"Fine," she lied, the word slipping out before she even thought about it.

Sawyer peered closer at her; her face was paler then usual. Her hand was shaking, though probably subconsciously by the look on her face. "You sure you alright?" Sawyer double-checked, getting up and pressing the back of his hand against her hot forehead. "You don't look too hot," he commented, but Danoso shook his hand away stubbornly.

"I'm fine," she repeated. "What did you guys find?"

"Just some old slip of paper with the ever-famous 'do or die' line." Sawyer looked into her eyes, growing increasingly worried. Her eyes were slightly hazed over, and he could feel the heat burning from her skin.

A drop of sweat rolled down her temple, and Sawyer pushed her back, "Maybe you should lie down."

Danoso nodded, and Sawyer stared into her eyes. It was like she was drunk, her eyes hazed over.

"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked, backing away for a second. Danoso didn't respond, and he glanced outside the tent for a second.

Her face got paler, and he contemplated what to do. He crouched down to her level, placing a hand on her back.

"Junior," he started quietly, and it looked like she was about to move away for a moment.

She slumped down and he heard the word, "Sawyer," slip out of her mouth.

"Junior, I'm going to pick you up now," he said, shifting towards her uncertainly. One arm he slid under her knees, the other supporting her shoulders. Her breath increased, and he started out the door.

The last thing he heard before she stopped fell asleep was a strained, "Jack."

Sawyer was halfway to the caves when Danoso woke up. Her eyes were open, but he could tell that she couldn't see. He only stopped running when her attempts at throwing herself from him were getting progressively distinct, and almost successful. He set her down, leaning her against his chest.

She started to gag, and he rubbed her back with the palm of his hand. He was no doctor. He had no idea what was going on. The gagging stopped for only a second, as she leaned forwards, trying to crawl away.

Sawyer held on firmly, his strong hands preventing her escape. "Get away," she moaned, collapsing to the ground. Her body started shaking, and she resumed her dry gagging. Sawyer stared with wide eyes, doing the only thing he knew to do in this situation.

He leaned her once again against his chest, wrapping his arms around her still heaving body. "Shush up Junior, I'm right here," he whispered into her ear.

"Leave me alone," she whispered feverously, trying fruitlessly to remove the hands that held her down. She squirmed, as if unseen bugs were crawling up and down her body.

Sawyer was taken aback for a moment. He didn't loosen his grip, but her words felt like a slap in the face. He'd heard those words before, but always from women who he slept with, women he was trying to con. It'd been such a long time since he'd heard them with conviction, and the first time he'd heard them from someone he cared about. "Hey, kiddo, it's me," Sawyer whispered again, but it only seemed to make her more upset.

"I don't want to," Danoso muttered. "I won't. I won't!"

"Who in the hell are you talking to? I'm not doing anything. It's me, Sawyer." He tried to look into her eyes for some kind of recognition, but knew it was hopeless. Whoever she was seeing wasn't there. Her dry gagging was no longer dry, blood spattering his shirt from either the pressure of coughing or from her stomach.

Danoso struggled as hard as she could against him. He looked around the forest, suddenly scared. The first time he actually cared about someone, and he couldn't help her. He knew nothing about the human anatomy, only the fact that there was something seriously wrong with Danoso.

Blood she coughed up before and the random spurts coming now covered her shirt, pants, as well as his. She was delusional. Sawyer was no doctor, but he knew that this was bad. On many levels.

"I'm not taking it! It wasn't a dream!" Danoso shouted, starting off on another blabbering rant.

"Hey, hey, hey," Sawyer muttered above her, in his most soothing voice. "I'm not going to make you take anything," he promised. "No one's going to hurt you, I've got you, " he hugged her tightly and pulled her up. Her feet were light on the ground, and she kept thrashing around, though with less and less power. She kept mumbling gibberish, Sawyer interrupting her every time. Eventually, she lost the strength- or will- and became a silent dead weight in Sawyers arms.

"Junior?" Sawyer asked, lifting her up into his arms once again. "I'm gonna get you better, no matter what," he promised her unconscious body, making his way to the caves as quickly as possible. "I've got you, don't worry."

-------------------

Jack was practically skipping through the woods. He stopped himself when he realized that if he had a little red cap and used words like 'frolic' he would've classified himself as, Little Bo Peep. It wasn't fair that Kate made him feel this way, and in the larger sense, it wasn't fair that any kind of women could make a man feel the way he did then. He slowed when he came to his clearing of choice, frowning slightly when he spotted Locke there. He was sitting on a rock, simply looking at the imposing hunk of metal.

"So how is she?" he asked without looking up.

Jack looked around for a moment to see if Locke was in fact talking to him. "Who?" he asked when he saw no one around.

"Danoso. How is she?"

There was a difficult question. "She's… doing surprisingly well," Jack answered. Everyday she seemed to have more and more energy.

Locke laughed. "You sound more then just a little surprised, Jack."

Jack crossed his arms and leaned against a tree. Usually Jack believed that all John Locke was, was a therapist sent to the island to make them all stir crazy by the time rescue came. But now, Jack felt comfortable sharing his doubts with him.

"It's just… it's healing so fast. At first, I thought she had a torn ligament or something-"

"But you don't think that now?" Locke asked.

Jack shut his mouth. The comfortable feeling was gone. Locke was enjoying this. Him. That he didn't know what was happening with her. He was happy for her, ecstatic, but it just didn't make sense. The pieces didn't fit together, didn't make sense.

The pieces just **didn't **fit.

And Locke was enjoying the fact that he didn't know what was happening with Danoso. "No, it doesn't," he answered shortly.

John smiled to himself, listening to Jack plow his way back to the caves.

It made perfect sense to him.

-------------------------

The second Kate spotted Sawyer she knew something was wrong.

The cocky light in his eyes was missing, replaced by an undeniable spark of fear.

"Sawyer-" she started, getting up. Danoso was in his arms, shining in the early night light from the sweat that had accumulated on her body. "Sawyer, what happened?"

Sawyer pushed past her, heading towards Jack's tent. "Where is he?"

The fear in Sawyer's eyes was threatening to envelope her own, "Who? What happened?" she asked with a slightly panicked voice.

"Go get Jack," Sawyer repeated, brushing through the tarp that kept the "clean" area "clean".

"But Sawyer, what happened?" Kate persisted, practically hanging off Sawyers arm as he lowered Danoso onto the table. She moaned and cracked her eyes open.

"Boone?" she asked, her voice a hushed whisper.

Sawyer swallowed, waiting for her shouts of delusional fear. "Go get Jack!" he yelled, and Kate backed away a couple feet. She turned around to start running, and he added, "And Boone if you can," to her retreating form.

He turned back to Danoso, unsure of what to do. Her eyes were gradually becoming wider, occupied with the same sightless dark that he'd seen before. "Hey," he said softly, leaning in closer to her. "It's me kid, you okay?" he asked, though the answer was obvious. He checked her forehead again, the heat immediately warming the back of his hand.

Her breath quickened, and her head rolled towards his voice. "Where am I?" she asked, her voice steely and guarded. Her hands tensed, balling up into small fists.

"You're in the, uh… medical tent." It sounded like a good description to him. "Don't worry, Jack's coming."

"I already told you, I'm not going to do it." She tried to roll off the table, but Sawyer blocked her escape with his arm.

"Do what?" he asked, his hands on either side of her. Panic flashed across her face, replaced almost immediately by determination.

"No. I'm not taking it."

Sawyer searched her face for any type of clue, the statement standing strong. She squirmed a little, and Sawyer felt wet on his side. He lightly took her arm in his hand, but it only made her more resistant. She tried to pull away, and began screaming when it failed.

"Hey, kid, shh," Sawyer, muttered trying to calm her.

"Leave me alone! Help! Someone! Help me!" she started flailing again, thrashing her arms around in what would have been a violent manner, if not for the lack of strength. He sat down behind her on the table, taking her hands and hugged her, so that it was as if she was hugging herself. Her shoulders were still moving, trying to shake him off, but the intensity had subsided a couple notches.

Sawyer put her head under his chin, and held her tightly, noticing for the first time that there was blood covering the table. The bandage that Jack had wrapped around her leg was drenched in red, and Sawyer assumed that the wound had reopened. There was blood covering his shirt, and the redness of it made him want to puke.

Danoso's head moved from under him, and he had just enough time to get his nose out of the way before she smashed his face with the back of her head.

"Danoso!" Sawyer said sharply, and her struggling slowly came to a stop. She quieted down for a moment, and her body caved into semi-relaxation.

"I'm not going to take it," she repeated, though she seemed thoroughly defeated. "I'm not."

Sawyer held her even though she had stopped wiggling. "I'm not going to make you take anything," he said. His promise fell onto deaf ears, as she was in another world.

-----------

Jack ran through the jungle, dragging Kate along. He had a tight grip on her hand, and she was shouting at him to either let go or slow down, but he couldn't do either. What she described to him had alarmed him to no ends. Danoso being sick he could handle. He could fix.

But Danoso being so sick that Sawyer was scared, he didn't know.

His conversation with John was fresh in his mind, and he couldn't help but wonder. Was her apparently stable state only the calm before the storm?

Jack was wrong before. The pieces all fit… he just needed to have them all. Now the last piece of Danoso's puzzle was falling into place, and he just needed to figure out where the lines met, and what the picture was meant to come out as.

TBC…

**-LOST-**

**Cohen101**

**Thanks to all that reviewed. As you can tell, this chapter is a little odd. Tell me what you liked, what you didn't like. Next chapter should be up I honestly have no idea when. I'm sorry. And sorry about the delayed update. Enjoy your summer! Please review!**


	18. 18 Changes

**18.18 Changes**

She was standing on the beach.

The waves lapped delicately in the subtle breeze, licking the sand, pulling it back into the ocean only to push it back up onto shore.

Teasing it.

---------

Kate ran to the tent; a ferocious maternal instinct she didn't know existed before propelling her body forward through the forest.

---------

It was calm. Peaceful. The way she liked it. She closed her eyes for a second, letting the cool breeze gently wash her face, cleansing the bad feelings away, and leaving room only for the good.

---------

Sawyer's haunted face disturbed her thoughts as Jack's grip on her hand tightened the closer they got.

---------

When she opened her eyes, a brownish red clump of hair had found its way into the water, and it bobbed in and out of the transparent liquid as it floated closer. For a few frightening moments, she believed that it was someone drowning until the person came to the clear of the water.

----------

It was a disturbing thought, imagining how ill Danoso would have to be in order to get Sawyer worried; one she preferred to block from her mind.

----------

'Hello?' she called out, waiting for some kind of a response. The person swam even closer, and she strained her eyes to see who it was.

---------

Jack's killer grip almost sent her sprawling and she dug in her heels, knowing that whatever they had coming up would need a cool head, which Jack had clearly misplaced somewhere along the way.

----------

'Danoso!' the voice called out cheerfully, the breeze carrying the words to her. In a flash his features were visible. 'Come in, the water's warm!' he shouted joyfully, swimming above a reed. Danoso smiled. It was Boone.

----------

"Jack! Slow down!" she shouted at him, grabbing a overhung branch as they passed underneath it. The anchor was enough for Jack to come to a halt, turning around to face Kate with a questioning expression.

----------

'Common,' he whispered, standing next to her on the beach instantaneously, smiling. She turned to look at him, confused by his abrupt appearance.

'Common,' he whispered again, stepping behind her and wrapping his arms around her body. She leaned against him, sinking into the hug, his hands tightened around her wrists like shackles.

-----------

"We have to keep going," he breathed, his chest heaving up and down in the effort to maintain a steady breath.

Kate shook her head and held her ground. "No, not like this," she walked up to him, putting a hand on each arm. "Jack, you need to calm down first," she whispered, watching and listening as he slowly calmed. "You can't be this wound up. Whatever's over there," she nodded to the camp where a small fire emitted a visible glow, "you're going to have to be able to think. Take a couple deep breaths, and clear your head. Count to five."

Jack clearly struggled with the instructions for a moment, as if decided whether the rush or the expertise would be needed the most. A look into Kate's eyes suggested the latter, and he nodded along with her. She slid into his arms, which wrapped around her small body instinctively. Resting his chin on her head, he nodded, slowly counting to five.

Noise broke out from the camp as Jack reached the fifth number.

"You good?" Kate asked, looking up at him. He nodded thoughtfully, staring into the jungle.

"Someone, get Jack!"

In a split second his concentration was torn from the dark woods, and he took up Kate's hand, walking confidently towards that camp with a collected head.

Sawyer looked up, clamped around Danoso's body. She was beginning to thrash around, and Kate hovered over Jack's shoulder feeling useless.

"Doc," Sawyer said, bear-hugging the girl. She was squirming, trying to get away, and for a moment the intention simply wanted to get away from Sawyer seemed legitimate. But the closer he got, the more he realized how off it was.

It appeared as though she had no knowledge of who or what was around her; even though her eyes were open, they were seeing things that he knew couldn't be happening. There was no doubt that she was terrified, but why Jack couldn't seem to figure out.

"It'll be okay," Sawyer whispered into Danoso's ear, abandoning the hope that Jack would be able to help. He seemed in a state of semi-shock, one that may take a while to get over. He was holding Kate's hand, and Sawyer instantly chastised himself for dawdling over such an insignificant detail while there was a hallucinating teenager thrashing in his arms.

Jack walked closer, apparently already over his little disbelieving fit. While Sawyer tightened the grip of his hands on Danoso's wrists, Kate grabbed hold of the child's leg, which was almost spouting with blood. The thought-process of the cause was immediate, and Jack bent over the leg, emerging with his hands soiled in dark crimson liquid.

"Get me some cloth," he ordered to no one, and Kate snapped at someone when they remained motionless. He turned his attention to Sawyer while he ripped yet another pair of jeans off Danoso's leg, "What happened?"

The simple question had such pressure behind it, and Sawyer didn't know where to start. Everything that could possibility be going wrong was going wrong, like it wasn't bad enough that they didn't have a hospital, sterilized working conditions or machinery, that they were in the middle of some huge ocean, with no hopes of being found or that the hatch they found may or may not contain something other-worldly horror.

No- the kid was now coughing up blood.

"I was heading to the tent- to see if she was okay, she was heading off somewhere when I got to her. She looked a little wobbly, so I told her to lie down, and she just passed out, muttering crap about what must have happened before she'd gotten here. I tried to get her here as quick as possible, but she woke up half-way and started thrashing, like there was shit crawling around her body or something. I had to stop and she kept telling me she wouldn't take it, and that it wasn't a dream. She was calling for people; Boone was one of them I think… I finally got her to calm down, and got her back here and now-"

Jack nodded absorbing all the information, "Kate, get me some long, slender pieces of wood. Charlie- the Velcro straps from the plane. Someone, get Boone."

"Why the straps?" Sawyer shot the second Charlie had left, the others following his lead.

Jack ignored him, accepting a long strand of cloth from Sun with a nod. She was the next best thing to a nurse on the island, and always seemed to be there when something was going wrong. "Sun, do you have anything that will stop bleeding, or infection?" he asked her, squeezing the wound on Danoso's leg to pressure the blood.

"I have a small herb that may be able to help. I will be right back." She pronounced each word carefully, articulating every syllable.

Jack kept a bloody hand on the leg, relaxing his other one as he shifted closer to the girl. Danoso whimpered as his hand neared, becoming as still as a doe. "Kiddo?" he asked, and he pressed his hand to her forehead, checking for any indications of a fever. The skin was hot to the touch, and Jack recoiled almost immediately.

"What are the straps for doc?" Sawyer growled, his voice low so that he wouldn't panic Danoso.

Jack ignored him for a second, then tenderly touched Danoso's face before replying,

"We're gonna strap her down," he muttered softly. Sawyer snapped his head back as if he'd been physically hit, and Danoso slowly bit down on her bottom lip, resuming the chew she'd started when he'd gotten there. The pressure was obviously inexistent, blood trailing down in a solid dark line to the edge of her chin.

Sawyer got his composure back, shaking his head, "No way. No way doc, we ain't doin' that to her."

"I don't want to either Sawyer," Jack mumbled, "But we have to."

Sawyer continued to shake his head, "No way. That's probably what the bastards did, tied her down like an animal. I'm not letting you do that to her."

"Sawyer, it's the only-"

"NO! If we tie her down, we'll be no better then them Indians. No way Jacky." Danoso began to squirm a little, and Sawyer tightened his grip whispering something into her ear.

"Sawyer…"

"These are the only ones we could find. Boone's not near the caves, but Walt ran down to the beach to try and find him… Jack?"

"Sawyer, we're doing this with or without you."

Had Jack been any less subdued, he would have realized how good of a thing it was that Sawyer was holding onto Danoso.

"You can only do this thing with me Doc," Sawyer nodded confidently. "Do you even know what's wrong with her?" he challenged, placing his chin once again on the girl's head.

Charlie stood in-between the two men, awkwardly holding onto the thick blue Velcro straps used to keep the cargo under the plane stable. "Uh, Jack?" he asked, and Jack ignored him, staring Sawyer down.

"Get off the table," he ordered quietly, and Kate ran breathless into the tent, stopping abruptly, instantly feeling the intensity.

Sawyer never broke his eye contact with Jack, "How do you think she's going to feel, when she wakes up all strapped down?" he asked softly.

"We have to for her own good," Jack responded, equally as soft. "She's a hazard to herself and others the way she is. If you're telling the truth, there's nothing much else we can do."

Sawyer shook his head, and Kate stepped up beside Charlie, "What's going on?" she questioned, her authority cause Charlie to flinch. "What's going on?" she asked with more force, and Charlie touched her elbow gently for her attention.

"I think Jack wants to strap Danoso down to the table with the Velcro straps so she doesn't do any harm to herself or anyone else," he whispered quietly, careful not to disturb the stare down Jack and Sawyer were holding. Kate nodded, understanding where both boys were coming from.

"Get off Sawyer," Jack ordered for a final time, and Sawyer laughed.

"Make me," he challenged, and Jack turned to Kate. If he was going to do this, he would need the assistance of her and anyone else he could get.

Kate looked into Jack's eyes, and he nodded once, slowly. She looked down at Danoso, who was whimpering quietly, still stubbornly chewing on her lip. "Sawyer," she started, and then paused for a second to make sure it was what she wanted to do. "I think Jack's right." She could hear something inside her breaking at the words, and Sawyer stopped for a second.

"Sawyer, get off," Jack repeated, and Charlie held the straps helplessly, feeling useless. If it came to physical force, there was no way he could take either.

Sawyer shook his head, "No way doc," he muttered, setting himself solidly on the table.

Jack closed his eyes, pacing to the outside of the tent and back. He ran his hand through his short hair, "Don't make me force you Sawyer," he pleaded, but Sawyer shook his head,

"You can't do this." Why couldn't Jack see the morality crisis of the situation? He was a doctor; he was supposed to be smart, how could he not see the reason that was right in front of him. _He doesn't know_, a small voice inside Sawyers conscience said, but Sawyer pushed it away. Jack may have no seen what he'd seen, but that wasn't an excuse.

"Sayid, Michael?" Jack called, and the two men came through the flaps obediently. They're faces were set with hard expressions, indifferent to the situations.

Sawyer shook his head yet again, a motion he seemed to repeating a awful lot, "You've got to be kiddin' me." Sayid and Michael came closer, and he glared at them, daring them to try anything.

"This is something that has to be done," Jack stated, and he nodded to the two men. Kate watched from behind him with an unreadable expression, and Charlie stood there, the same bewildered look on his face

Sayid was the first to approach, and Sawyer glared at him wrathfully, "Don't you dare touch me Aladdin," he warned, but Sayid didn't waver or slow.

He placed an arm in Sawyers bicep, "There are two ways we can do this Sawyer." He tightened his grip, and Sawyer hugged Danoso harder, Michael gripping his other bicep. "You can come quietly, or you can have us pry you off…"

"I'm gonna be kickin' and screamin' the whole way," Sawyer warned, and Sayid nodded his understanding. It was unfortunate that this had to happen, but it could not be sidestepped.

He nodded to Michael, and they both took one of Sawyer's hands, weakening his grip and pulling them back, forcing his arms behind his back. Sawyer fought as hard as he could against the two men, mindful of the teenager leaning against his chest. He was strong, but they were overpowering him easily.

"Let go of me!" he yelled, twisting his back in attempts to fail his arms, but they didn't listen, instead pulling him straight off the table. He was falling for a second, supported only by the two sets of hands he was trying to get away from, his feet banging onto the ground seconds before they let go, softening the landing on his back. "Bastards," he muttered as Sayid and Michael let go of him, standing over him as he scrambled up.

He stood there, fists clenched, ready for a fight. Sayid walked towards him calmly, his hatred of the Arab growing with every step he took. "Don't even think about touching me again," Sawyer growled, and Sayid firmed placed a hand on his shoulder, his other tightened on the wrist that was attempting to punch him.

Michael did the same, and Sawyer was led out of the tent forcefully, letting a stream of swears and cusses out as he went. They pushed him away almost as soon as they got out of the tent, blocking the entrance.

"I spent EVERYDAY with her," Sawyer yelled, attempting to get back inside, "I deserve to know what's going on!"

Sawyer was on his last thread, and it was broken when Sayid pushed him away for the umpteenth time. He swore loudly as he cracked his knuckle on Sayids cheek bone, the sound vibrating throughout the small camp. Michael opened his mouth in a wide "O", rushing instantly to Sayids side.

"I told ya not to touch me again," Sawyer muttered vengefully, stalking away from the tent in a rage.

----

Jack caught Danoso as Sawyer was pulled out from underneath her, cringing as she whimpered. The sound was so pitiful, and it pained him to see her like this. He placed her down gently, brushing away the few strands of hair that littered her face.

As Sawyer was escorted out of the tent in a rage, he motioned Charlie forward.

"Is he okay?" Charlie asked, motioning towards Sawyer and the scuttle that could be heard outside.

"He'll be fine," Jack reassured, taking a strap from Charlie and placing it over Danoso's body.

"Boone?" _she asked quietly. His hands tightened their hold, and she winced in pain. _"Boone!"_ she said a little louder, and his head grazed against hers. _

Jack stopped what he was doing for a moment and leaned in closer to her face, "What'd you say?" he asked softly.

'_He's going to die,' he whispered maniacally, laughing softly. 'There's no one to help you now,' His hands melted away into cords of rope, binding her wrists together. Her breath caught in her throat, the sanctity of the beach dissolving. The sky grew back with clouds, the sun disappearing from the horizon. _

"Please, no! Boone!" _she shouted, and the figure hunched over, closer to her face. _"I'll be good, I promise,"_ she whimpered, staring fearfully up at the figure._

Jack searched for something in her eyes he could recognize, but her fear controlled them so completely it made her blind. "It's alright kiddo," he whispered softly, and Danoso shook her head.

"No- I'm not going to! I'll be good, please!" she tried rolling off the table, but Charlie caught her, Jack mesmerized with her words.

"Stop it!" she screamed, yelling, "Stop it!" Charlie held her as best he could, looking at Jack panicked.

"What do I do?" he asked, and Jack snapped out of it, Danoso continuing to thrash and mumble things he couldn't make out.

Jack quickly threaded the strap through the buckle, tightening it across Danoso's chest as Charlie held her flat. He did the same with the straps across Danoso's legs and feet, tightening them just enough to seize movement. Her teeth had turned red from the biting motion, and Jack winced when he saw. He knew what he needed to do, but didn't know if he could bring himself to do it.

"Charlie," he asked, pointing to a clean rag beside him. Charlie picked it up questionably, and Jack nodded, Charlie handing it to him hesitantly.

"What are you going to do with it?" Charlie asked, eying the thing dirtily. Jack didn't answer, but instead took it and wrapped it around Danoso's mouth, tying it loosely at the side.

_She was about to cry out when it was cut off abruptly with a filthy gag. She was on the ground now, her pleas and attempts to get away getting her no where. She screamed but the gag successful quieted her cry. Tight straps bound her to the ground, holding her down. _

_Slowly she stopped her struggling. She knew what was coming. They would strap her down, restrain her, make her weak and helpless. Now it was only a question of time until they started._

The black shapes were back, all over the place, talking, ignoring her presence. She had to get away from them. 

_It was only a question of time, and she had to get away._

Charlie looked at him in horror, and Jack questioned his logic as a doctor, "It's so that she doesn't bite through her lip," he explained, and some of the shock wore off of Charlie's face.

They heard a loud cracking sound outside the tent, and immediately Jack's mind went to the worse-case scenarios. He started to head towards the sound, giving one last glance to Danoso, who had stopped struggling against the straps and was now just staring straight up at the sky, her blinks periodically becoming sleepier and sleepier.

"Charlie, can you stay and watch her?" Jack asked, and Charlie nodded mutely, taking a seat on a nearby rock. He set his eyes on Danoso, watching her solemnly. "Kate?" Jack asked, and she nodded, following him out of the tent.

The first thing Jack saw was Sayid on the ground, rubbing his cheek thoughtfully, and Michael seated beside him, holding him needlessly up.

"What happened?" Jack asked. He knew Sawyer wouldn't have gone easily, and a injury to someone was more then likely.

Michael answered first, "I guess Sawyer got fed up, and he punched Sayid in the jaw."

Jack bent down to examine Sayids jaw for a break or cut, the crack he'd previously heard possibly evidence of one or the other. It was only bruised, turning red against Sayid's dark skin.

"I cannot say that I am not surprised."

Jack smiled at Sayid's bluntness. He was a true solider through and through. "Neither am I." Kate tapped his back, and pointed to a figure in the woods; Sawyer.

"When Sun comes back with her herbs, can you go and help her apply it to Danoso if I'm not back by then?"

Sayid nodded, and Jack took Kate's hand up, heading towards Sawyer. Kate's fingers interlocked soothingly with his. He took a deep breath, glad to know that she was on his side. He looked down at her questioningly, "Did I do the right thing?" he asked quietly, whispering so that Sawyer wouldn't be able to hear his doubt.

"It was the logical choice," Kate answered in the same tone, "But I see why Sawyer had troubles accepting it. You'll have to explain it to Danoso when she comes to."

Jack nodded, glad that Kate had the enthusiasm he himself lacked. So far he didn't know what was wrong with the child, and wondered how long they could all go through with the physiological pressure before they snapped. Kate thought that he'd be able to fix this, but he wasn't so sure of himself.

He hoped that he could, but he just didn't know what to do, other then to keep her safe.

----

Sayid watched Jack and Kate walk towards Sawyer. Their hands came together as one, and didn't come back apart. He wondered what it meant for them, and what it meant for the camp, accepting Michaels hand-up gratefully.

"Sorry man, if I'd have seen him going for you, I would've tried to help," Michael apologized, but Sayid held up his hand.

"Do not worry about it, there was nothing that you could have done to help or prevent it. Sawyer was angry that he wasn't getting his way, and he needed an outlet. I just happened to be the one who aggravated him to the point of his snap."

"Uh, right," Michael nodded along, giving Sayids back an odd look as he walked into the tent.

"Walt is looking for Boone down at the beach, correct?" Sayid asked, and Michael nodded, suddenly remembering about his son.

"Yeah, he left a little while ago with Vincent… I'm going to go look for him, alright?" Sayid nodded, and Michael headed off to the beach, feeling just a little guilty about his mistake. It would take a long time for him to get used to looking out for someone other then just himself.

Sayid walked through the tent flaps, and Charlie stood up quickly. "Oh," he said after a second, sitting back down to his place on the rock, "I thought it would be Sawyer or someone," he muttered.

Sayid walked over to Danoso, analyzing the child. He hadn't had much of a connection with her during her time with them, but she seemed rather peaceful in her current state… or much more peaceful then she'd been beforehand.

"Jack said that the gag would stop her from biting," Charlie provided from behind him, and Sayid nodded his understanding. Jack was a practical doctor that made the best of the supplies at his disposal.

"These should help with the bleedin-" Sun stopped in mid-sentence, realizing that Jack wasn't in the tent with them.

"Thank you," Sayid said, taking the crushed plants from Sun.

"What happened?" she asked as Sayid applied the powder to the sleeping child. He'd used the plant before and was surprised that Sun had been able to pick it out in the woods, and grow it in her garden.

"We removed Sawyer and now my assumption is that Jack and Kate have gone to discuss with him their actions and motivations. Charlie, I presume, was asked to stay guard here?" Charlie nodded, and Sun muttered her understanding.

Sayid turned his attention back to the open wound, bandaging it carefully but firmly, glad that the straps were in place. Jack would have to sew it again when he returned, but at least Danoso wouldn't harm herself any more.

------

"Don't even try!" Sawyer yelled at Jack, standing at the extreme opposite end of the camp. Kate was in-between the two, looking helpless as she tried to lower their voices and bring their fight to a more secluded level.

"Try what? You won't even let me explain!" Jack shouted back, all the anger and doubt he'd been feeling rushing out as rage against Sawyer.

"YOU wouldn't listen to me! You have no RIGHT to try and explain!" Sawyer yelled, and Kate hushed them fruitlessly.

"Don't act like you wanna help!" Jack asked, screaming it across the camp. They'd been screaming at each other for the past ten minutes, the people caught between their shouting match either looking on with interested or darting their eyes everywhere uncomfortably.

"I WANNA help! I wanna be INVOLVED and INFORMED. You're not the only one who cares 'bout her ya know!"

"Jack," Kate interrupted before he could reply to Sawyers latest statement, "Why don't you let me and Sawyer go search the tent for something that could've cause this, uh?"

It wasn't more of a request then an order, Kate finding a logical way to both postpone their fight until later, and searching the place that was most likely to hold the cause. He had to get cooled off, and he trusted Kate to be through in her search. "Fine," he muttered. As much as he resented the idea of Sawyer and Kate being alone together, he needed someone to search what had been Danoso's home for the past couple days.

Kate gave him a quick peck on the lips, walking over to Sawyer and speaking to him in a low voice. After a couple of minutes, Sawyer nodded, shooting daggers at Jack all the while. Jack watched them go, then headed back towards Danoso, feeling his temper calm with every step that he took.

----

"Jackass thinks he's all tough and shit. I'd like to get a piece of 'em, just once duke it out like men," Sawyer ranted, and Kate rolled her eyes.

"That's just ridiculous."

"Why Freckles, 'cause I'd beat your boyfriend up so bad you'd realize what a bag he is?" Sawyer snarled, his anger still present.

"NO, because you'd both end up getting hurt, trying to prove how macho you both are. Jack's just as strong as you are, and he's not my boyfriend." Kate couldn't wait for them to get to the tent and have something to discuss. Sawyer had been Jack-bashing for the last five minutes, and she was sick of constantly reprimanding him.

"How can you say that? I'm not blind, I can see the way you two look at each other," Sawyer stated, and Kate denied the fact again.

"He's not my boyfriend, and we'll just leave it at that."

"We'll leave it when you tell me why you're getting all lovey dovey with him. How do you explain that, if you two aren't 'going out'?"

"Sawyer, you need to grow up and get your head out of high school. Things are more complicated then that," Kate explained frustrated, welcoming the sight of the hazardous tent.

"What, Jack-o's coming out of the closet, and you're just there as a prep?"

Kate stepped up her pace to the tent, glaring at Sawyer, "What does that even mean?"

Sawyer ignored her, breaking into a jog and ducking into the tent. Kate stared after him confused, reaching the tent a couple seconds later. "What was that all about?" she asked, and Sawyer shrugged.

"Beat 'cha," he stated, and Kate rolled her eyes. "Just look for anything that could explain why Danoso's acting the way that she is."

Sawyer started looking on the floor, "What exactly are we supposed to be seeing?" he asked flat on his stomach.

"Something she ate, something she drank, some bug that bit her, anything helpful…"

Sawyer pulled out a folder from under the makeshift bed, the color and stickers seeming awfully familiar.

"What'd you find?" Kate asked, the absents of Sawyers -constant bitching about Jack/talking randomly- odd.

"Freckles," Sawyer said slowly, thinking as he asked. He opened the folder and scanned the left side, gripping the paper. "Freckles, what did that ole' piece of paper say, the one we found in the guns case?"

Kate walked over to Sawyer and looked over his shoulder, wondering what the hell he was doing. "Where did you-" she started to asked, but Sawyer stopped her,

"The paper, what did it say?" he asked with more urgency, and Kate ran her eyes down the folder.

"It said, _P/W – password_. Why, what's going on? What is this Sawyer?" she questioned, but Sawyer once again ignored her.

He took the loose-leaf out of the folder, and ran his eyes down the folders inside, his eyes resting on a certain sticker.

"Sawyer…" Kate trailed off, and Sawyer stuck his nail underneath the peeling edges of the sticker. Kate gave an audible gasp as he pulled it off,

_P/W:_

_4 8 15 16 23 42_

"Freckles," Sawyer asked again slowly, the same urgency in his tone, "What did you say you thought it would be a password to?"

Sawyer turned around to look at Kate, and a light bulb went off in her head.

"I thought it was a password… to the Hatch…"

-------------------------------

Sawyer burst into the medical tent, forcing himself to overlook the position Danoso was in. "Jack," he breathed.

Jack looked up at him with a weary patience, "One second," he sighed; tying the knot to the thread he was using to sew Danoso's kneecap back up. He washed the blood off his hands with the water bottle, rubbing sleep from his eyes. He didn't know when the last time he slept had been, but something told him that it was long overdue.

"Yeah Sawyer?" he asked, leading the southerner outside. If this was about what he thought it was about, they might risk waking Danoso up. Jack was happy to learn that she'd fallen asleep when he returned, and he promptly removed the gag he'd placed in her mouth.

"Kate's gone to open the hatch to look for medicine for Junior."

Defiantly not what Jack had thought it would be. Sawyer said it in such a rush that it took Jack a second to figure out what he as trying to say. Kate went to open the hatch? But it was locked- it had a number pad lock on it.

"What?" was all Jack could manage, and he could see Sawyer mentally booting himself for rushing to the end.

Usually he was more controlled, but the prospect of maybe figuring out what was wrong with Junior made him excited. "The password was in the folder, and the note told us that it was the password."

Jack stared blankly at Sawyer, "What?"

"The note the others left us, in the folder it had P/W, and then the numbers. The P/W was the password, and the numbers were the password."

"Sawyer-" Jack stopped him before he could go further. "None of this is making sense to me. Start at the beginning." Where was Kate off to?

Sawyer gave an exaggerated sigh of impatience. "Me and Kate went to go look through the tent, right?" Jack nodded. "I was looking under Juniors bed, and I found the folder, and it said-"

"Wait!" Jack held up his hand, a plead for Sawyer to slow down. "What folder?"

"The one with everyone's name and information on it!" Sawyer's excitement dropped when he realized that Jack didn't know what the folder was.

"I thought Charlie put that away somewhere…" Jack muttered, and Sawyer ignored the comment.

"Me and Jr. were looking at it before, and she found the P/W, and then a series of numbers. I didn't know what it meant, so we left it. Then we got the note from the others saying that the P/W actually meant that they stood for 'password'. Freckles thought that it would stand for a password for the hatch, and now she went off to test the theory. If she can get into the hatch, maybe she can find some meds for Jr!"

It took a second for Jack's brain to process all the information.

"And you let her go alone!" he asked him indignantly. What if the hatch was a trap and it was going to blow up? What if there were people in the hatch and when she opened it, they would shoot at her? What if the Others got to her before she even reached the hatch? The possibilities went on and on, and Sawyer had just let her go on her own.

"I came here to tell you!" he defended himself, realizing his mistake too soon. "Shit!" he chastised, and both he and Jack started running towards the hatch simultaneously.

Hopefully they would be able to get there on time to prevent anything bad from happening.

------------------------------------------

Kate reached the hatch, proud that she had only run halfway here. Her nerves were on end, as she repeated the numbers in her head. If everything worked out, then she might be heading to Jack and Sawyer with meds that could potentially help Danoso or as Sawyer was coming to refer to her as, Junior. It was perhaps the only nickname Kate liked for someone, far too used to her own to care.

The hatch came into view, and she could feel her step beginning to bounce. She repeated the numbers again, making sure that she had them down to an art.

There was no way she was going to screw this up. There had been a lot of things in her life that she'd screwed up, but this would not be one of those times.

This or her relationship with Jack she wouldn't screw up.

She was a screw up, but she would _not_ jeopardize what she had with Jack like she had everything else in her life.

"Locke?" she called out, reaching the hatch doors. There was no one around, and she was suddenly regretting her decision to go into the hatch alone. There could be things in there that she couldn't handle on her own,… but then again, there could be things in there that could help Junior, -Danoso, she corrected, things that could make her better.

"4 8 15 16 23 42…" she whispered to herself and she lowered herself into the hole they'd created that opened up the area around the door.

Something rustled in the trees, and she called out, "Locke?" once again. No one answered, and Kate shook the forbidding feeling that someone was watching.

She mentally repeated the numbers, and then took a deep breath.

Why was she nervous? She didn't even know if the stupid numbers would open the hatch or not! But if something helpful was in there, she wasn't about to screw it up.

She punched in the four, and nothing happened. Continuing on with the patter, the eight, then fifteen, then sixteen, then twenty-three, and finally the forty-two, pressing EXECUTE after entering the combination.

The number pad beeped, a mechanical noise she had forgotten the sound of, and nothing happened. Kate swallowed that first bout of disappointment, biting her lip.

She looked around for someone to help her, but there was still no one around. She was about to input the numbers once again when a low pitched creaking reached her ears.

"Hello?" she called out. No one answered, and the creaking turning into a dull thumping. She looked at the door, fear beginning to root itself in her veins. What was happening?

The door let off a soft thrum, and slid open, the thick metal disappearing into the top of the door.

-------------------------------------

Boone loved the Ocean.

The way that the waves lulled his body into relaxation, like a no work Yoga class, the way he could just close his eyes and… float. He could duck his head under the water, and all his fears and doubts and insecurities would be washed away.

When he was in the ocean, he didn't have a care in the world. It was just him and nature, the way God intended it. He loved the city, but… he was coming to love nature even more.

His toes left the ocean floor, and he treaded water. He was always careful not to go out too far; the lady who died in their first few days here was still painfully haunted in his mind. He clenched his jaw when he remembered his attempts to save her, and being humiliated by needing saving himself. But Rip Currents were just one way of the ocean reminding him of its power and unmerciful attitude.

All his thoughts of Danoso and Shannon would drift away, and he'd be left alone, just him and Mother Nature. The wind started blowing, and he could've sworn he heard his name called,

"Boone!"

He ducked his head beneath the surface, diving down and letting his body propel itself through the water. He broke through the liquid, but wind once again calling his name, "Boone!"

But it wasn't the wind… it sounded more like a child's voice then anything… he whipped his head to the shore, where, sure enough, Walt was standing, jumping up and down waving his arms over his head.

"Boone!" he shouted, jumping, and Boone heard Vincent beginning to bark.

"Coming!" Boone yelled as loud as he could, and Walt stopped his frantic calling. Boone swam as fast as he could to the shore, wondering why in heavens name Walt was standing on the edge of the beach and screaming his name.

His feet hit the sandy bottom before long; he'd drifted out further then he'd intended to, which was usually the case with him.

"Hey," he greeted Walt. Boone was the youngest adult on the island, but he sometimes felt bad for Walt, who didn't have anyone his age to play with or talk to.

"Jack told me to come get you," Walt explained in his childish way of relaying information.

Boone tousled his hair with the towel, looking at Walt curiously, "Bout what, do you know?" he asked.

"I think it's something about that girl. Sawyer seemed really upset, and she didn't look too good."

Boone stopped drying his hair, freezing. "What about Danoso?"

"Something's wrong with her I think…" Walt obviously was somewhat out of the loop, and Michael came running from the beach.

"Walt, good, I found you," he said, apparently relieved.

"Mike," Boone interrupted, his voice strained, "What's going on?"

"Hey man," Michael acknowledged him for the first time, his arm around Walt's shoulders, "Yeah, uh, you should probably head over to the caves pretty quick. Don't be too worried, Jack's got it pretty much under control, but still, it's Danoso, and…"

Boone was already in his pants and running towards the caves while pulling his t-shirt over his wet body.

Mike's kind words hadn't eased his nerves, and he was worried for Danoso, the girl who'd gone through so much in such a short amount of time.

He only hoped he got there in time not to miss anything.

----------------------------------

Kate stared into the blackness with a open mouth.

What.

The.

Hell?

So many questions passed through her head at one moment, it felt like her mind might explode.

For one, how the HELL did a folder know the password to a hatch on a deserted island that had been buried underground? And how the HELL had the remaining Other's known about it, and known about the folder? Where had the folder come from? What would be in the hatch?

She forced herself to stop thinking, preferring to just go with the flow as it came. She didn't even have a light, and the chilled air of the dark tunnel reached her bones.

A lighter on the ground posed a questionable but helpful purpose, and Kate picked it up, lighting it and putting her hand hesitantly inside the darkness.

The walls lit up, and she noticed that it was a decent sized passage. She took a tentative step onto the hard concrete, and nothing happened.

Releasing a breath she didn't know she'd been holding, she put a guiding hand on the wall and took a couple steps, looking for something she could light with her tiny lighter.

Seeing nothing, she walked a couple steps forward, swallowing the fear of the unknown and proceeding.

A sudden gust of wind blew the lighters flame out, and a bang that resembled a gunshot deafened her ears. The light from outside snapped shut, and Kate froze in position.

When the echo of the bang quieted, and everything was silent, Kate lit the lighter again, after a quick, much needed shake out of the legs.

Dust was floating lazily in the air, and Kate turned around, the sole provider of light coming from the lighter she'd found on the ground.

No knowing how much fluid remained in the small container; Kate made her way hastily to the door, looking for a handle, or another number pad that would provide an exit. A chill ran down her spin when the reality that one simply didn't exist set in.

"Shit," she swore loudly, pounding her fist uselessly against the door. "HELP!" she screamed at the metal, but she knew that no one was out there.

Sawyer was probably telling Jack about their discovery, and the door had looked like a sound barrier anyways. She was trapped.

The flame on the lighter flickered as a small breeze ran through the tunnel, and Kate glared at it. She was stuck here for who knew how long, and her fluid was draining.

She knew if her light went out, there would be nothing to stop the paralyzing fear she was holding back with an inch of control. Everything would be set into panic, and she'd dissolve into a blathering mess…

The flame flickered once again, but this time she felt her arm hairs tickle her arm, sending goose bumps up until the straps of her customary tank-top.

Something in her mind clicked, and she started walking confidently away from the door, giving it a last look.

It could be hours before someone would come to look for her, and she knew there was another way out. The flickering of the flame and the light breeze told her that there was a air current coming from somewhere, and she could get out another way.

After thirty steps, she came to dead end, which, when she lit up the respective sides, was no more then a T-intersection. The flame flickered to the left, and Kate looked down the opposite hall, wondering what was down there. But the flame led her way, and she wasn't quite ready for exploring the dark, scary tunnels on her own with a lighter as a flashlight- quite yet.

She turned to the left, following the shallow air current to the exit. Noises behind her caused her to quicken her pace. She turned behind her to try and see what they were, but there was nothing there. The sound stopped for a second, then a loud, continuous bang rang out through the corridor.

Kate turned on her heel and started running straight as fast as she could while maintaining the open flame.

­-----------------------------------

"Chase, get your ass down here!"

A quick glance over his shoulder told him that Trey was getting angry. Ana Lucia was watching him with disgust, an emotion that was almost always present in the women's face. Although most revered her as the leader of their slowly depleting group, Chase had the exact opposite opinion. It had been the basis of many arguments, though Chase was no less then ten years younger than her.

"We will leave without you!" she shouted up, and he resisted the urge to finger her. To hell with her, he thought as he reached up for a handhold, she was the one looking at his ass. He pulled his foot up where his hand had previously been. With a huge grunt he lifted himself up a branch higher, the rapidly thinning tree swaying precautious.

Looking up to his destination, he grinned with a grim satisfaction. His muscles were sore, and he would be getting a lecture from Trey when he got back down, but it would be worth it. Reaching up once again to gain some altitude, his foot slipped, and he quickly laced both hands around the hulking trunk of the old tree to maintain his balance.

A panicked shout yelled out, "Chase!"

Without looking down, Chase reached up and pulled himself even higher, the effort straining his arm. He looked up and realized he was closer then he'd thought to the object of interest. His grab for it almost landed him on the ground down from the 50 foot drop, and he tucked it in his belt buckle for safe keeping.

Getting down would be harder then getting up was, and he began his slow decent to his colleagues.

"You idiot," Trey reprimanded as Chase dropped the last five feet. He did a somersault as soon as he landed, absorbing the impact with his whole body instead of just his feet. He finished on his back, eagle spread, Trey still chattering away about recklessness and idiocy.

"Why the hell are you grinning? Do you think it's funny?" Trey asked, his hands on hips, the perfect picture of a disciplinary school teacher. Ana Lucia had sulked into a corner, gathering the other three people of their party.

Chase closed his eyes and got up onto his feet. He pulled the small object from his belt, showing it to Trey. "I think it was worth it," he muttered, flipping the butterfly knife open with a flick of his wrist. The silver blade shinned in the light.

Trey was speechless for a moment, taking in the beauty of the small dagger. "How the hell did you know this was up there?" he asked after a second, taking it carefully from Chase and holding it in his hands like a brick of pure gold.

Chase rolled his eyes, bouncing the knife away from Trey's hands and catching it in mid-air. He smiled at the familiar weight as he bounced it up, closing it with a bop of his hand. "I noticed the sunlight reflecting off it and realized what it had to be. Do you realize how much this could help us?"

"Why are you so good with it?" Trey questions suspiciously, eyeing the blade nervously. It twirled in Chase's hand for a moment before the blade was once again exposed.

"I'm an assassin," Chase answered, dead serious. He knew his obvious expertise with the knife was a suspicious characteristic. They were always on the lookout for those disguised as Others. Trey's eyes opened wide for a second and he couldn't contain his laugher for any longer. "What do you think? Practice makes perfect," he answered, flicking the knife back into its shell, stowing it away in his back pocket.

"We're moving out!" Ana Lucia shouted at them, issuing the order in an arrogant tone that made Chase want to stab her.

"Common," Trey said after a second, catching up with the main group, Chase dangling behind it.

They were a odd bunch of misfits; him, the skinny red-head that rebelled against the 'leaders' authority, Libby, the careful blonde who talked like she wanted to understand the world, Mr. Eko, the formidable African with a club, Bernard, the old geezer with the faith of a God, Trey, the helpful twenty-something that keep the red-headed adolescent in check, and Ana Lucia, the bi-a-tch that believed she could keep them all alive. And so far proven she couldn't.

For him it was Eko and Trey that did it. Eko's knowledge in battle had more often then not saved them, Trey's cool head and collected thoughts outwitting the Others time and time again. Ana Lucia was like a scapegoat in the respect that if the Others were to want capture of their leader, taking Ana Lucia would not effect the group at all.

He didn't know where his anger for Ana came from, but he knew it existed, and he tried to keep it as controlled as possible. At times it was hard, and everyone knew when those times had come. Arguments would blow out, the yelling across the fire only stopped by the fearsome form of Eko. One was long over due, and Chase could feel it coming.

The weight of the blade was reassuring in his back pocket, and he carefully watched Trey chat up a storm with Libby. All of them had been subject to her questions at one time or another, and her story was that she had been a therapist.

She had asked him the questions, the What, Who, Where, How, and he either denied or lied to all of them. It wasn't Libby's business knowing who he'd lost during the crash, and he'd bashfully rejected her offer that they could 'all heal together'. Whether they knew he lost someone or not wasn't their problem, and he could deal with it on his own.

He was perhaps the only one in the group who Libby avoided purposefully, it seemed that he was able to break the pattern in the resilient lover she played out to be. He had nothing against the woman, most times her concern seemed genuine, but he'd rather keep to himself, knowing in the long run, friends were a liability- not an asset.

The sun grew higher in the sky, and his reckless climb began to catch up with him. Soon his whole body was aching, every time he stepped down on the rough terrain; a shooting pain ran through his bones, coursing like an electrical current from his feet up to his shoulder blades.

He was in the middle of a stretch when he noticed the group stopping. It was too early for a break, and no one was in pain…

Gripping the cool steel of the knife, he palmed it carefully; confident with the upper hand it served him. Eko motioned for him to come closer, his home-made club raised high above his head, and he floated over to him, careful to avoid any branches that would give away their position.

"Them," Eko muttered, his accent weighing his words down heavily.

Chase nodded and flipped the knife out, pressing his back against a tree. He hoped it wouldn't come to a fight, they didn't have enough energy for something like that.

If Eko had any surprise for his weapon, he didn't show it. They listened carefully while the others huddled beneath some underbrush, the people slowly making their way closer and closer.

"… We need her, but the most important thing is to get it open."

"Who cares about that! She's going to die!"

"And since when did this get personal for you, uh? This is what we do. Give them a note saying they got a week, and take her back when no ones looking."

"But that's still not…"

The voices faded away, and he looked to Eko confused. "They were the Others, right?" Eko nodded. "What the hell were they talking about?"

Eko looked at him and his knife thoughtfully before he began to speak again. "I do not know, but I suggest we keep going- in the opposite direction."

-----------------------------------

"Great," Jack muttered, and Sawyer glanced at his face. He seemed crushed, worried, upset and angry all at the same time. "They kidnapped her. Who knows what the hell they're going to do!" his voice was strained. He still remembered the way he was treated when he was with them, and he cringed at the thought of Kate going through the same thing.

"KATE! KATE, IF YOU'RE IN THERE, SAY SOMETHING!" Sawyer shouted, banging on the door as hard as he could. This was all his fault!

"Try the number pad again," Jack suggested quietly to Sawyer. If Kate wasn't in the hatch, he knew where she was, and it didn't make him feel any better.

"I tried that already doc," Sawyer growled, his accent heavy with worry. Jack was losing it, and that defiantly wasn't a good sign. He punched in the code he memorized from the folder into the pad and pressed Enter.

Nothing happened.

"KATE, IT'S JACK! YOU IN THERE?" he shouted, his mouth as close to the door as he could get it. Sawyer lifted himself up and over the dirt, standing over the hatch, analyzing it.

Jack pounded his head against the door. Why? Why was this happening? As if they didn't have enough drama on the island already!

A foot missed his head by inches, the loud sound echoing in the woods. "Damit," Sawyer muttered, along with a few choice swear words.

"You idiot!" Jack turned on Sawyer, doing his best not to push him on his ass, "This is all your fault!"

Sawyer balled his fists, anticipating a fist fight. If there was one thing on the island he'd give anything to protect it would be Kate and Junior. He knew that it was his fault, but hearing Jack say it awoke a beast that'd been sleeping long since.

"How is this my fault?" Sawyer shouted, and Jack stood there, a unreadable expression on his face. "What's wrong?" he taunted, "It's not like you've been using your brain so far!"

Jack took a step forward, his anger growing, "What is that supposed to mean?"

"You know exactly what I mean."

All Sawyer saw was a blur of from the corner of his eye, Jack's head hitting the side of his head as he ducked. "What, doesn't the doctor know how to punch?" Sawyer goaded, ramming his shoulders into Jack's stomach.

Jack groaned as Sawyer dislocated a few ribs that hadn't quite healed, lifting him up and ramming him into the hatch side. He crumpled to the floor seeing dots, the pain from his injuries too much for him to handle.

Sawyer was pulled off him, and two shapes came jumping into the narrow space in the ground. The white was slowly turning into black fuzz and the last thing Jack heard was his name being called before he leaned his head back against the cool metal and closed his eyes.

-------------------------------------

Kate was running when she slammed into a wall. The sounds had faded away, now barely a whisper in the long tunnel.

She didn't know how long she'd been running, but she hit the wall full force. It didn't hurt as much as she was expecting, and oddly enough, she was falling forwards instead of backwards…

Light blinded her when she opened her eyes, and she pushed herself up instantly, stumbling into something loud and moving.

Before her eyes could adjust to the light, or she could get her bearings straight about what was happening, she was back on the ground, a knee in the hollow of her back and a knife at her neck.

"Eko!" a boy shouted, and someone grabbed her wrist. Her experiences from years on the road and knowledge of dealing with police told her that she was caught. Pushing the tunnel and its mystery to the back of her head, she used her free hand to propel herself to the side.

The person on her had obviously not expected such a reaction, and she punched him once solidly in the cheek bone before a much bigger and darker man grabbed her and threw her onto the ground.

Kate scurried backwards before her head hit a tree. She rested her back against it, her hand clamped over her forearm. There was a sizable gash on it she knew would be from the boys' blade, and blood poured from it like a mini-waterfall.

"Chase?" the large man asked, and the boy nodded,

"I'm all right."

"What happened here?" another woman asked, and Kate immediately resented the arrogant tone. Both men turned to look at her, and Kate whipped around the tree, getting up as fast as she could. She started to run, but within seconds she was tackled to the ground, her arms behind her in an iron grip.

"Get off me," she ordered, trying to rock the body off her back. A blade with her blood on it was pressed up against her cheek,

"Shut-up." It was the boy again, and his tone was so commanding that Kate stopped for a second.

"What happened?" the lady asked again, and Kate remained still, the sharp edge of the knife pressed coolly against her cheek. Something told her that these people were for real.

"I was walking when this one came out of no where and attacked me," the boy explained, and Kate lifted her head up.

"I wasn't trying to-"

The boy hit her head against the ground with surprising force. "Save it," he muttered dirtily, and Kate could feel him physically trying not to hit her again. The knife had now pierced a small cut in her cheek, and she could feel a bead of blood run down her face. She'd never in her life met someone this hostile.

The woman came into Kate's field of vision, and she looked Spanish, maybe Mexican. She glanced down at Kate for a split second, "Kill her."

Kate's muscles froze and then tensed all in the same second. She started to struggle for a second, but it came to her that struggling wouldn't be the best way to convince them not to slit her throat.

She felt the boy on her tense at the words, "No." The lady looked furious, but he continued, "I say we tie her up."

"That sounds like a reasonable solution," the tall, dark man nodded, and Kate bit her tongue, swallowing her temper.

The lady shook her head, "But what if she's one of them? She already attacked Chase!"

Kate opened her mouth to once again deny that small fact, but the boy, Chase, she presumed, slammed her head into the ground once again before she got anything else.

"That's why it should be my decision," he stated arrogantly, and Kate could sense some history. Another person came into her view.

Where were all these people coming from?

"What's going on?" The new boy asked, and he looked like the youngest one there.

"We caught one of them, and we're going to tie her up," the boy on her explained, and the lady gave him the evil eye.

Her ankles were tied separately, a rope looping around each, and she resisted until she remembered that the alternative was death. She didn't know where these people were coming from, and she didn't know their story, or what they thought she was. The boy crawled off her back, and her wrists were tied tightly, and she instantly knew she didn't have a chance of getting away. These people were experts, but from life in the world, or from survival in the jungle she didn't know.

"Do not make us harm you," the tall man said, his accent heavy, and Kate wondered if he was from an African country.

They forced her to stand up, and she stayed quiet, a little red-headed boy that reminded her of Danoso coming forwards and tied a long length of rope around her waist. She didn't know where they were getting all the rope from, but she couldn't help looking around at all of them for the person that had tackled her.

"Common," the young boy in front of her ordered softly but firmly, tugging on the rope and Kate stared at him. Everyone else gave them an odd look and followed, another person she didn't know passing her. She couldn't take her eyes off the child in front of her.

She was taken down by a seven-year old? He tugged the rope again, and Kate stumbled forwards, trying to plant her feet. Before they could extend to their fullness, something caught on her ankle, and she nearly fell over.

"What the-" she said, cutting the sentence off when she looked down. Her ankles were tied together with a short rope between them so she could walk, but would be unable of running.

"You say something," the boy threatened, grabbing her elbow so she could gain her balance, "And I'll slit your throat without so much of a second glance." He released her and took out his small knife, flipping it open with deadly practice.

The threat was real, and a flash of fear crossed through Kate's eyes. She looked around at the group, the boy tugging on the rope again, and she started forwards mutely. Why were they all so quiet, and why were they being so cautious with someone who'd simply run into them? What would happen when she never came back, never came out of the hatch? What would they do to her? But the question that she kept coming back to again and again was,

If they weren't the Others… who were they?

TBC…

**-LOST-**

**Cohen101**

**_A/N: Okay, I realize how long I've made you guys wait, so here you go. I know this is usually longer then most chapters,(20 pages on Word with size 10 New Times) but I felt that I owed you guys one. And also I got a flood of ideas and spend about 5 hours just typing._**

_**Tell me what you think about the plot, a lot of stuff happened this chapter, and sorry if the quality of writing sort of goes downhill nearing the end. I'm tired and I'm behind in school already… lame, I know, but hopefully this will satisfy your thirst, and hopefully leave you with enough – 'pondering' material. **_

**_If you read it, please leave a review, even to name the letters of the alphabet. I recently lost my Alphatron cereal and could use the refresher. ;)_**

_**A/N#2: Also, if any of you are into 'Friends', check out the first chapter of 'Kathleen and New York City'. **_


	19. 19 Heaven or Hell

**19.19 Heaven or Hell**

Chase half-lay on the ground, a poking stick held loosely in his hand. The darkness of the forest draped over him like a cloak, a faint flicker from the small camp fire every so often igniting his face with a flash of light. The camp fire was small tonight, the Others probably on the prowl for their lost member.

Muted whispers reached his ear, and a murmur of agreement made him look up from his tending duty. He caught a glimpse of her face in the corner of his eye, her solemn, calculating face.

He didn't trust it.

"Are we going back?" he asked quietly as he passed across the fire, crouching down to join the circle that had subconsciously formed during the 'meeting'.

"Yes."

Chase nodded, "And are we taking her with us?" he asked, jerking his head towards their prisoner. She raised her head; she couldn't hear what was going on, but she could sense the topic changing to her.

Trey was about to answer him when Ana –Lucia cut him off with a loud, "I say we kill her."

Kate scuffled in the background, and they all turned to look at Ana, the violent outburst surprising them all.

"We're not killing anyone," Chase replied coldly while the others overcame their shock.

"Why not? She's one of them. We should just shoot her, here and now."

Chase could feel his cheeks growing hot, and stubbornly ignored the increased intensity of their prisoners struggle. He would never let Ana kill the girl, simply out of spite if anything. "What did she ever do to you?" Ana drew a blank at the question, and Chase took the opportunity to extort her speechlessness. "She attacked me, not you. No one gives two shits about what you think, and we're not going to 'just shoot her'. She could be valuable. I'm the one who caught her, and I'm the one who's going to be teaching her a lesson."

Ana-Lucia answered with what only could be described as an animal baring its fangs, retorting, "You're a snotty little brat, you know that?"

"At least I have a heart you cold bi-" Trey pulled him harshly to the ground.

"Calm the hell down," he whispered, and Chase bit his lip, the swear word getting caught in his throat. The girl attacked him, not her, so where did she get off trying to tell him what they should and shouldn't do. "Don't forget we have to live together, try and be civil!"

Eko stared at him with his big eyes, and Trey's whispering remarks left his ear cold and his face hot. Rage he didn't know the origin of rose up in his chest, and he knew he'd have to leave that second if he wanted to escape the confrontation without a fight.

He lifted up his eyes for a second to glance at Bernard and Libby, his overgrown bangs casting invisible shadows in his vision; they were both looking at him, well used to the verbal catfights him and Ana commonly held. But both knew, as did he, he'd come close to crossing a line this time.

Trey was back to leaning into his ear, "Maybe you should take a second to cool off…"

"Shut-up," Chase answered sharply, and Trey rolled his eyes. The need to snap at someone was causing him to pick on the wrong people. He tore his elbow away from Treys grasp, taking the gun that was at his feet.

"Where are you going?" Ana asked the instant his hands touched the cool metal.

Chase glared at her and walked away, setting his eyes on someone else.

"What are you doing?" Ana asked again more insistently in the background, and Chase walked over to the girl and held the black gun to her head.

Kate's eyes opened wide when she saw the boy coming towards her, his hand steadying the gun with deadly experience. She subconsciously pressed her back against the tree, and she struggled to keep her face neutral. The light shadowed the boy's face in a lethal light, and she found herself more intimidated by this boy then she'd been by the countless thugs she encountered on the run.

"I'm going to untie you," he said in a strong, steady voice. Kate stared up at him, working hard to maintain eye contact. If he was going to kill her, he'd done it by now. "I'm going to tie your hands back up, and then we're going to walk into the woods. You're going to keep walking, straight forwards, until I tell you to stop. You're going to listen to every word I say, because if you don't, I _will_ shoot you." He bent down on the balls of his feet, his arm extended, the black point pointed directly at her head. He lowered his voice an octave. "I'll shoot you in the shin, crack your bone with a metal bullet and drag you back here. Then I'll give you to the frat over there, and let her do what she whatever she wants with you. And it's not going to be pretty."

His thumb unlatched the safety, "Understood?"

The girl inclined her head an inch, staring hard at him. He watched her for another second, waiting to see any sign of rebel or weakness in her face or body language, but she didn't waver.

Keeping the gun in his hands, he went behind her and untied the cruelly tight knots that Ana had tied, placing his hand on the trigger when the ropes fell down to the ground.

Her hands floated in the air for a moment awkwardly, not yet used to the freedom. Chase picked up the rope and circled around the tree, and she pulled her hands out from behind her back. She eyed the gun and Chase tensed; now was the moment she decided if he had the bite to back up his bark. It would determine her attitude towards him, and without a seconds hesitation, he fired the gun into the bark centimeters away from her head.

Her gasp, as well as that of the groups was audible in the silent jungle, and he lowered the gun. "Don't even think about it. Ever."

All fight left her eyes, and she brought her hands together, dejected and weary. Chase quickly tied them, and then pulled her up to her feet roughly. His anger at Ana was inversely being brought out on the women, and he shoved her forwards, catching her before she stumbled down to the ground because of her tied feet, realizing his actions.

"You're alright," he muttered smoothly under his breath, and Kate could hear the undertones of genuine caring. He pushed her again, this time gentler, and she took a step forward, then another and another.

They walked into the jungle, the light from the full moon making the path more visible. Chase could feel his temper falling with each rhythmic step that they took, concentrating on the sound and motion instead of thinking. He kept her in front of him, his gun out and at the ready. She looked back at him, saw the gun, and kept going without breaking her stride.

"Stop," Chase ordered after a couple minutes. The light from the camps fire was long gone and the terrain was getting steeper, the girl beginning to slip and fall from her restraints. She stopped obediently, and he could see her faint glare in the moonlight. "On your knees," he ordered, helping her down when she didn't make any notion of moving.

The halt of motion brought back the train of thought he'd managed to lose on the walk, his anger slowly beginning to build once again. He walked away from her, sighing deeply, trying to steady his breath. The girl turned around in attempts to see what was going on, and he snapped at her, "What?"

She turned back around, facing the front, and he studied the back of her head. She was young- younger then Ana in any case, and though she had a threatening air about her, Chase got the idea that it was from experience, a necessity that she'd acquired but didn't necessarily enforce.

"What do you want from me?" she asked quietly, and he decided to ignore her, instead closing his eyes and leaning his head against his knees. "What do you _want_ from me?" she asked more insistently, and Chase snapped his head up,

"Shut IT!" he growled. He was going to get up, but the rustling of leaves and a snap of a twig made him decide otherwise. It was a silent night, virtually windless and the noises were man-made. He wasn't alone.

"Why do your friends want to kill me?" she asked, and Chase resisted the urge to throw a rock at her. What part of shut it didn't she understand?

It struck him that by 'friends' she was referring to Ana, and he answered, "Ana isn't my friend." Another movement and Chase located the perpetrator. He concluded that it was one of his own people, come to investigate exactly what he was going to do, and the outline from the dark made him assume that it was Eko.

"Thank you," she whispered so quietly that Chase wasn't sure he heard her.

"What for?"

It took her a second to reply, "Not letting them shoot me."

"Oh, shut up. I'm not on your side; I personally don't care about your well being. The only reason I didn't let them do it was so that you could pay for what you did to my friends." And so that Ana wouldn't get her way, he contemplated adding, but he knew that Eko was in the darkness, and he would be judged.

The comment seemed to shut the girl up, and he stood up, walking up silently behind her, taking out his knife. "Why aren't you so talkative now?" he asked, and he could tell that he had surprised her by his appearance. Her jump made him smile; he hated arbitrary violence, but it seemed justified in this instance. She was one of them, and he needed to take his anger out on something.

"What's your name?" he asked, and she didn't answer.

"He asked you a question," Ana said, coming in from what he had thought was Eko. Eko followed her entrance across from her, shaking his head. Chase glared at her; he should have known only she'd be clumsy enough not to get caught spying.

"What do you want?" Chase asked, and the girl in front of him looked back and forth from Eko and Ana.

"He asked you a question!" Ana said again, this time shoving the girl into the ground and jamming her knee into the captives back. Chase went towards her, but Eko grabbed his arm and pulled him away.

"It will not help if we seem divided in the eyes of the enemy," he whispered wisely, and Chase gritted his teeth but nodded. He wanted to shove Ana into the ground and see how she liked being bullied, but knew that the weakness in their group would be instantly spotted and exploited.

"What's your name?" Ana asked dangerously, and the small sound of,

"Kate," could be heard, muttered angrily by the girl.

"Kate?" Ana repeated with a laugh, getting off her and rolling her onto her back. She crawled back onto her, punching her solidly in the face. Kate cried out in surprise, instantly trying to fight back.

"What's that short for, Kate? Katharine? Katie?"

The second that Ana said Katie, Eko and Chase knew she'd made a mistake. Something clicked in Kate's body, visibly snapping a portal that opened what Chase called from that moment on; psychopathically aggressive Kate.

Within the time that it took Eko and Chases combined effort to pull Kate off of Ana, she'd already given her a split lip, a bloody nose, numerous bruises, a bleeding eyebrow, as well as a rather sizeable gash to the back of the head. Eko held Kate back, holding her arms back- her hands still tied together as Chase stared at Ana lying on the ground.

She was an idiot, yes, but she looked so pitiful lying on the ground that Chase felt a shred of pity for the woman. It quickly stepped away as Ana got up slowly, wiping away blood that trailed down into her eye. Taking the gun, she stood up with only a tiny wobble, walking towards Kate with her arm extended.

Before Chase got a chance to shout out, "Stop!", a gunshot had already been fired, the sound echoing through the jungle.

---------------

_She was sleeping when it happened. _

_She'd given up on creating a fire a long time ago, to finding anyone out there in the forest, and restorted to sleeping curled up in a tiny ball on the jungle floor. Maybe having a fire would've helped her out, but she doubted it. They would've found her quicker that way. _

_As it was, she went to sleep one night alone and curled up, woke up the next tied to a tree and gagged. They first give away was the presence of the fire she'd struggled so hard to create. It lit up her face, warming it pleasantly located just a few feet away. For a second she allowed herself to believe that someone, anyone she knew, had found her. _

_Her second thought was that of an unbearable aching in her arms and shoulders, the numbness of her legs chasing the fleeting daydream away, and instead making her wonder how long she'd been in her current position. _

_  
The third was the slowly escalating panic when she realized she was in the middle of the jungle, alone, tied to a tree by a fire. _

_She tried shouting for help, but it came out instead as a muffled howling sound. She started shaking, the fear seizing her body and tacking over. She started struggling against he ropes that tied her wrists together, scraping her arms bloody against the tree she was tied to. _

---------------

Boone helped Jack out of the hole, the island doctor barely able to stand straight. Getting on level ground had been the hard part, every time Jack extended an arm or leg, shooting pain jarring his nerves and pain sensors, blinding him momentarily.

He wasn't usually the fighting type, and to be honest, he didn't quite know how to fight well. He surprised himself when he went for Sawyer not all that shocked when Sawyer had instantly retaliated. Sawyer was the kind of guy who got into bar fights and won.

Jack wasn't.

Michael attempted to help Sawyer out of the hole as well, the one good shot Jack had gotten in throwing him slightly off balance. Sawyer stubbornly refused, his anger shimmering down while he watched Jack's pathetic progress to land.

"Let me take 'em Metro," Sawyer requested sullenly, realizing that Boone holding Jack, who was almost twice as big as him, was quite a sad sight.

Boone looked questionably towards Michael, and Sawyer didn't wait for permission as he took Jack's free arm and hoisted it around his neck, holding Jack up carefully with his other arm. The doctor looked like he wouldn't be able to add two and two.

"How's Danoso?" Boone asked quickly as they started walking, following behind Sawyer uselessly.

"Goin' crazy. Kid's not thinkin' right, I dunno what's goin' on with her."

Sawyer saw Boone nod glumly out of the corner of his eye. Apparently not what he wanted to hear. Jack groaned, and Sawyer instantly lowered his hand as he felt a bone shift. Maybe it hadn't been such a bright idea to run him into the hatch door after all…

"Is he gonna be alright?" Michael asked rushing up to support Jack's other side. Sawyer glared at him,

"He'll be fine."

"What's wrong with her?" Boone asked, oblivious to Jack's condition.

"She swallowed a rainbow," Sawyer answered instantly, regretting it when he saw Boone's face. He knew how it was to care about the girl, and Boone's face showed genuine concern. "We don't know yet," he added after a second, quietly. It was as close to an apology as the kid was going to get.

Their progress to the camp was surprisingly efficient; they got their in record breaking time. Sawyer picked Jack up and laid him down on a slab of rock while Boone rushed into the tent where Danoso was sleeping.

Charlie jumped up about a foot in the air when Boone ran in, half asleep with his head in his hands. "Wotcha doin' in here?" he asked, then chastised himself for asking such a stupid question.

"Is she all right?" Boone asked, walking up to her slowly.

Charlie came up behind him, rubbing sleep from his eyes. "Bit delirious is all… and her leg started bleedin' again… and her fever's feels like it's been goin' up… and they've got to keep her tied down so she doesn't hurt herself… and she was just 'bout ready to bite her lip off, so Jack gagged her…" he stopped when he realized his list wasn't getting through to Boone.

He walked forwards; taking in Danoso's sleeping form. What was wrong with her? He took her hand gently in his own, the heat radiating off it like a furnace.

"Danoso?" he asked, and she moved her head to the side in her sleep. Boone bit his lip, and Charlie stood silently beside him.

"I'm sorry," Charlie muttered, and Boone stood beside her, holding her hand and taking in her body. Charlie turned around and walked out of the tent. She was the only one on the island who knew his secret, and for the first time in his life, he wished that she'd awaken and become lucid, if only to spread that secret to everyone.

He left the tent, the glare Boone was sending him telling him that much. Picking at his fingers he walked over to where Sawyer and Jack, who earned a double-take, were sitting.

"What the bloody hell happened to him?" he asked, staring at Jack wide-eyed.

Jack took a painful breath in, his arms clutching the area around his stomach. "Fell down the hole," he answered his voice weak and cracking. Charlie watched Sawyer give him an odd look before answering,

"We _actually _got inter a fist-fight, and doc 'ere forgot that he was still hurtin' from before. Idiot took me on, but I show'd 'em who was boss," Sawyer grinned, and Jack glared at him.

"Shut-up Sawyer," he muttered, moving an arm to hold up his head with one hand.

Charlie looked between the two, wondering what the hell had happened, and why Sawyer was suddenly making jokes like they were friends… wait a second, "Are you two like, buddies now?" he asked, shocked.

Jack looked up at Charlie surprised, the movement jolting his head, causing him to flinch in pain. Sawyer evaluated Jack from the corner of his eye, trying to gauge his reaction.

"S'long as we've both got a common goal, we'll bear with each other."

Charlie nodded, not quite understanding, but knowing that it was the special relationship that Jack and Sawyer shared that allowed them to be nice to each other in their own way. As long as they had something in common that they both cared about – be it Kate or Danoso or whatever, they would function the only way that they knew how.

"Well, sorry to break it to you, but cha look like hell," Charlie stated, patting Jack lightly on the shoulder.

"And 'ere I was thinking he looked more like 'eaven," Sawyer commented, and Jack just looked at him.

Charlie smiled at them, and then left, saying something about going off to find Claire and Aaron. Sawyer watched him until he was out of sight; he was an odd one. Kate's disappearance nudged him determinedly in the back of his mind, and he couldn't shake the feeling that this was all, in fact, his fault.

Jack coughed again, pulling him out of his trance, and he looked at him, rolling his eyes, "For a doctor you ain't too bright," he stated, getting up and pushing Jack down onto the blanketed stone.

Jack didn't have the energy or pain tolerance to resist Sawyers gentle push, his back giving way to Sawyers supporting arms before he reached the flat. "Lay tight for a moment. I'll get ya some water, but is there anything else… medical that you need I wouldn't know 'bout?" he asked, and Jack shook his head,

"I think you dislocated my lung," he muttered, and Sawyer looked at him, shaking his head.

"Uh huh," he said while they both shared a laugh, Jack stopping almost instantly. "But seriously doc, anythin' you need before you become Sleepin' Beauty?"

Jack shook his head, and closed his eyes. Sawyer started to walk away but Jack's soft voice stopped him,

"Find her," he said, and Sawyer felt a twinge of jealously. "Find her..." Jack trailed off, and his body shuddered. Sawyer moved in closer, but Jack was already passed out.

---------------

_A shadow came out of the woods and she froze. All she could do was watch as a man came into the clearing, towering over the grass and dying fire. He gave her a quick glance and upon observing that she was awake, bent down into his satchel, removing a large needle._

_Clear liquid sloshed around in it. He went to her, and she tried yelling out, but the gag put a stop to all sound. Fear took over her body, and she shrunk away as far as she could. The man didn't seemed phased by this, simply leaning in closer and wrapping a large hand around her neck. _

_Movement was impossible as he penetrated her skin with the tip of the needle, embedding a sizable length of it into her arm tissue. Injecting the liquid, she closed her eyes, hoping whatever it was wasn't fatal. _

_He laughed at her, and removed the needle, patting her arm as a trickle of blood created a small stream down her arm. He turned around, ignoring her now, taking some fruit from a bag by the fire, cutting it up and slowly placing each slice delicately into his mouth. He chewed thoughtfully, painfully slow. An ache in her stomach soon developed and grew, realizing how hunger she really was. Even though her mouth was dry from the gag, the prospect of food was making it water in the slightest. _

_The man finished with the fruit, packing everything away. He cleaned the knife and put out the fire. As soon as he gave his full attention to her, she felt the fear once again take over. _

_He walked closer to her, and she shrunk away, getting as close to the bark as was possible. The man stooped down and loosened her gag, level with her. _

---------------

"Yes."

"Survey."

"Yesterday."

"Yeast."

"Timely."

"Yellow."

"Willingly."

"Y… Charlie!" Claire shrieked, and Charlie grinned at her.

"What?" he asked innocently and she slapped him lightly on the shoulder.

"You're cheating me!" Claire shrieked again, and Charlie couldn't help but laugh this time.

"I was not! It's called a strategy… something you apparently lack," he added on and she opened her mouth indignantly. Charlie laughed and wrapped his arms around her, lifting her up over him and placing her on his lap, tickling her.

"Stop it!" she yelled laughing, clearly enjoying herself. Charlie laughed, wrapping his arms around her as she squirmed to get free. He smiled, and she broke out of his grasp, pushing him down onto the ground, the hand holding her up near his head.

He smiled at her, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear, which stubbornly came loose a second later. She looked at him, analyzing his face, her other hand tangled in his hair.

"I was thinking yesterday," she whispered, and Charlie urged her on with a silent 'what?'. "You really need a hair cut," she laughed, and Charlie laughed with her as well.

"I- I do, don't I," he said, putting his hand into his hair and finding Claire's. He pushed his fingers gently through hers and she smiled. She leaned down towards him, and Charlie's heart skipped a beat.

But instead of Claire's lips on his, he jumped as he heard Vincent lobbing up behind them. Claire crawled off of him, waving the dog away with her hands, "Shoo Vincent, shoo," she said, scowling.

Charlie closed his eyes and got up dejectedly. Why did this always happen to him? When he opened his eyes to give Vincent some top-notch glaring, he found something oddly peculiar attached to the animals collar. "Commer, Vincent," he called, and Vincent ran towards him obediently, licking his face.

Charlie tried to dodge to kisses as skillfully as possible, getting his hands on the paper attached to Vincent's collar. The second it was removed, Vincent ran away, off to play with someone who paid him proper attention.

"What is that?" Claire asked, and Charlie shrugged his shoulders,

"I, dunno…"

He opened up the paper, three lines of handwriting taking up the entire area of the slip:

Jack,

Your precious Katie's with us;

Give us Rachel and we'll gladly trade.

You've got a week to decide which means more.

------------------------

She was somewhere cold, her wrists holding up the weight of her body. She came too and it took her a second to find her feet, and she shuffled them for a second before feeling the blood rush back into her wrists and fingers after who knew how long. She was groggy, more groggy then she'd ever felt, and she couldn't remember where she was, or how she'd gotten there. Her stomach was growling with hunger and her head was light from dehydration; she could barely stand, but her body refused to let her rest in this position.

She opened her eyes and all she could see was dark. A shiver ran down her spine, the creepy, steady drip of water all she could hear. She coughed out loud once, and then opened her eyes again, this time feeling the resistance on her eyelashes.

Was she blindfolded?

She stood up straighter and tried to rest her arms, but was discouraged to find that they were almost extended to their fullest.

What was happening?

"You're an idiot," a voice said in the back of her head, echoing. The cold of wherever she was penetrated her jungle clothes effortlessly, and she shivered again. She pulled on the rope that held her up, but it did nothing.

"Don't try that, you'll hurt yourself," the voice said again, reprimanding her. "What were you think attacking that cow?" it asked, and Kate felt the need to shrug. But she knew why. It was a personal pet peeve, one that had the potential to turn into violence, as it had before. Only Tom ever called her Katie, and she wanted to keep it that way.

"I know you're cold, but this is a precaution; one rightfully taken in my opinion."

Why was the voice telling her that? She knew that she was cold; she didn't need some stupid voice in the back of her head to tell her as well. And why was her own opinion different from the one she had right now? Did she have two minds?

"I'm sorry about my anger before, you shouldn't have been subject to it, even though you really weren't. She just pisses me off sometimes, y'know?"

Yes, she did know that feeling of being pissed off, she was feeling it right now. Why did she have such radically different thoughts?

"I'm glad you did what you did, but it was stupid, and know that I'm not in on whatever they decide to do with you. It's going to hurt, but you've left whatever protection I could have given you by attacking her."

"Shut up." Kate said weakly. She wanted to voice to stop, stop saying things and confusing her. The voice in her head was pissing her off, and she didn't exactly need it right now.

"Oh, I'm sorry, am I discomforting you?" the voice asked, and she nodded her head. "Well suck it up, cause they're going to do a lot worse!" someone slapped her face, and it occurred to her that the voice in her head might not be in her head at all.

"Who's there?" she asked sleepily, the sting of the slap lingering in the cold. Where was she? And why was it so damn chilly? The darkness was making her uncomfortable, and she shook her head to try and get rid of it. "I can't see," she stated, and she was slapped on the other side of her face. It stung more then the first one, and she could feel her face turning red. "Stop it!" she ordered, rewarded with another slap.

"They're pissed off Kate. You think that hurt? You can't talk to them like that or they'll do worse."

The voice changed and she recognized it now, someone familiar. She knew that the voice was quite new; she'd learned to distinguish it quickly, but not too long ago. It was a girl's voice, someone who she'd spent a lot of time with recently. "Answer their questions truthfully, and they'll see that you aren't who they think you are." Another slap but Kate kept her mouth shut. "Don't say anything until they ask; you're learning already. The little boy's on your side Kate, he just doesn't know it yet. Do what your told, when you're told, how you're told to do it. _She _needs to feel powerful, in control – do it and make her believe she is, keep to yourself. Do what they tell you, but off your own free will. You'll be surprised by how sane and free you feel."

She could see the image of the speaker, bright red hair, small, thin figure; but she couldn't recall the name. It was a girl, a girl she cared about…

"Danoso?" she asked quietly, and felt two warm hands on her cheeks.

"Listen to them, and remember – he's on your side."

Cold water drenched her head, running down her already freezing back. It ran through her hair, into her ears, and down her nose, mercilessly missing her needy, dry mouth. The water caused her to begin shivering, and she didn't think she'd ever stop. A familiar deadened feeling reached her sense when she tried to move her fingers, and she scrambled to her feet, feeling weakness engulf them.

A sharp slap stung her cheek, and she tried to move her hand to comfort the cold pain, but her arms were already extended to their fullest, stationary above her head and to the side.

Another bucket of cold water was splashed over her head, and she sneezed this time, the water trailing down her back and trickling down into her pants, dampening the already chilled material.

"I think she gets it," a small voice said, and Kate knew she heard this one before as well.

The urge to say 'Who's there' was strong, but Kate caught the question in her throat. The voice, Danoso, had she dreamed that all up? Even if it had been a dream, she heeded the warning that it represented. Whoever these people were, they were serious.

"I'm the one who gets to decide if she gets it or not," a hard voice reprimanded, and Kate gasped as another wave of ice water encased the top of her body, dampening her clothes more so, leaving them clinging coldly to her already uncontrollably shivering body.

"Then at least don't waste the bloody water," the small voice retorted, and Kate assumed he won the argument, no more water heading her way.

She could hear footsteps echoing through the room she was in, walking around her. A cold hard object landed lightly on her back, and it trailed around her body in respect with the footsteps.

"Do you know why you're here, Kate?" the voice asked, and Kate shook her head even though she knew why she was probably in her particular predicament. The object reached the same place it started and lifted off before it whistled back, smacking into her back with a sickening sound.

Kate gasped, the stick, presumably a length of wood, sending electric pulses of unbearable pain up and down her spine. She clenched her fists, willing herself not to tear up. The damp blindfold absorbed the few tears before Kate regained her composure. Her lower back throbbed where the place of impact had been, and the sharp voice asked again, "Do you know why you're here, Kate?"

This time Kate nodded. She could venture a small guess. She didn't know where anyone was, and she also didn't want to answer the question.

"Do you want to tell me why you're here, Kate?" she asked again, and the repeated use of her name aggravated her. Kate stayed quiet, anticipating the impact of the stick once more. It came, twice, and Kate forgot just how badly it had hurt the first time. The pain ebbed away slower this time, burned more intensely and for longer, and the question was asked again, "Do you want to tell me why you're here, Kate?"

"Because I attacked someone who was too much of a wimp to fight me fairly," Kate answered. She could feel the edges of a stubborn tendency beginning to rise up from the depths, one that had gotten her into a lot of trouble during her younger years.

It was a slap this time, the hardest one she'd gotten yet. It stung both hot and cold, the water that lingered on her cheek intensifying the strike. She knew that the voice was of the women she attacked, and knew that this was the result of those actions. Kate would rather the pain then let this women have her way, stubbornness she was born with taking over.

She had nothing to lose, but didn't want to get killed. She would play the line, tipping a toe over it occasionally, making sure to balance it out.

"You're here because you attacked me," she heard the hiss in her ear, and she knew these types of people. Who were truly cowards at heart, bullies who inflicted their pain behind barriers of protective walls. The ones who weren't brave enough to back up their bark; that operated among restraints without first proving their worth.

"I'm here because you're a coward," Kate said loudly, and this time the stick was whipped into her abdomen. Kate attempted to move her arms around the injured skin, failing to do so. She crouched over as far as she could go, and someone gripped her face, the nails that dug into her skin leading her to believe it to be the women.

"You'd better watch your mouth, or we'll have to deal with it another way," she threatened, and Kate wished she could see more then just black.

"Leave her alone Ana," the small voice said again, and the nails left her face. Kate resisted the urge to collapse onto her wrists, her body protesting and aching from the physical abuse. She refused to allow gates of certain feelings of helplessness to be reopened, knowing that it would only take a second to trigger the flow.

"Is that all you know how to say?"

"You proved your point. Now leave her alone. We both know that it's not her your after."

"When did you become poster boy for Others captured?"

"When did you become poster girl for bitches in action?"

Kate allowed a small smile on her face at the sound of the comeback, and the empty air that was accompanied with it. The boy was bright, she'd give him that much. Someone slapped her face, and her smile turned into an angry frown. Who the hell beat up on a woman that was tied up and blind?

"What are _you _laughing at?" Ana asked, and Kate caught her comment in her throat. She had all the satisfaction she needed knowing that a seven-year old boy had burned the older woman, and badly, in her mind, at that. There was much dead air and a couple of sounds of rustling something-others before she heard Ana speak once more.

"If you untie her, so help me God-"

"Just go."

The door opened and closed and after a second Kate finally let gravity take its course, collapsing painfully onto her wrists.

"Don't do that," a soft voice warned her, "it'll only hurt more later. Stand up and let me help you," it said, and she unwillingly found herself complying. She couldn't tell if it was the voice from before, or that of the boy.

Nimble fingers quickly untied her wrists, and she sank to the floor as soon as she was freed, wrapping her arms tightly around her stomach. It was sore to the touch, and her back was beginning to tighten, but she would be fine. Footsteps circled around her, and she felt the hands work again as the blindfold loosened and fell away.

"Didn't she tell you not to untie me?" Kate asked in a hoarse voice, her eyes quickly adjusting to the available light. She was in a rather large cell, a chair fused to the ground off to the side, two ropes that changed into chain hanging out of the ceiling. There was a thin barred door to the left of the fourth wall, and light flooded in from it.

As she took in the room, the boy – so it had been a boy – quickly worked on something on the ground and off to the side. "Why?" he asked, so suddenly Kate almost got whiplash from snapping her neck, "Would you prefer me to tie you back up?"

Kate shook her head mutely, glancing down at the wrists that had held her weight. They were pulsating, and she cringed as a particularly painful throb passed through one.

"Are you familiar with the concept of handcuffs?" he asked, and Kate got a better look at him. He was slight, skinny, his red hair tousled messily in no apparent order on his head. She saw a butterfly knife, which was illegal in the United States, and looked at him hard. That had been the object that cut her cheek, and he had been the person who'd inflicted the damage.

"How old are you?" Kate asked. He looked young, maybe as old as Walt, though a lot smaller and it made Kate wonder why and how he'd learned to use the knife.

The boy stopped what he was doing and turned around to three-quarter his profile to Kate. He tossed her a set of handcuffs that was attached by a chain to the floor, "Put those on," he ordered, and she stared at them.

Last times she'd worn handcuffs, she'd been on the plane with the Marshall. The Marshall had taken her from Australia, because she was a wanted fugitive in America. The Marshall and everyone else thought she'd murdered Tom, and wanted to put her in prison for the murder of Wayne. Wayne brought back memories that she'd rather forget about, and the fresh bruises on her back were a physical reminder of most of those memories.

"Put them on Kate," the boy said in a soft voice, and Kate snapped out of her trance. He had his knife out, Kate's blood crusted on the blade. Apparently he hadn't had the time to wash it off.

"Why?" Kate asked, looking at the handcuffs defiantly.

"Because if you don't I'll get Ana back into here, and you'll be strapped to the chair instead of the ground."

His fist tightened around the knife and Kate hesitantly reached for them. The cool steel touched her fingertips, but instead of recoiling, she embraced the metal with her palm. The familiar click filled the room, and she reluctantly tightened them around her wrists.

When she looked up, Chase was staring at her, as if trying to determine something. "What?" she asked sharply, instantly regretting her tone when he flinched. He just seemed so young to her, she didn't understand who these people were, or what they were doing.

"What's your name?" he asked, crouching down.

Kate wiped a thin trail of cold water off her nose before answering, "Kate."

He rolled his eyes, and Kate smiled. He reminded her of a small child who was explaining the differences between cartoon characters to its mother; all traces of the self-confidence and authority he had when the others were present in the room disappearing. "Yeah, but, Kate _who_?"

"Kate Austen."

"How'd you get here?" he asked, throwing his head to the side to move the bangs that had masked his eye.

She contemplated telling a lie, something she would be able to build on, but didn't see anything wrong with how she'd really gotten here. "Our plane crashed. A couple weeks ago."

His eyes went wide with surprise before he caught himself and bit his lip. She could tell that he was struggling to decide whether or not she was telling the truth, and Kate tried to figure out what word had acted as the prompt. "How do I know you're not one of them?" he asked after a second, and Kate felt that he was truly asking the question. She shook her head.

How did she know she wasn't one of whom? "I- I don't know what you're talking about."

"What was the name of the plane you crashed on?" he asked, going a different route, "The name of the company?"

"Oceanic Airlines. Flight number 815. We were going from Sydney to LA, and our plane crashed halfway there. We turned around and were heading to Fuji, but we hit turbulence, and landed here." No need to add her fugitive state; he'd eventually figure that out on his own.

The answer confused him, and suddenly he wasn't too sure of himself. Kate shivered and he got up to retrieve a blanket from the chair across the room. He heard the snap of chains, and turned around to see Kate standing as if to follow him, her back almost to him, pulling on her hands.

"It's chained to the floor," he explained, pulling the blanket and tossing it to Kate, "Just a precaution." Kate nodded, sitting down and reaching for the blanket. These people really had their bases covered.

"I'll be right back," Chase said, heading to the door and walking through it. He shut the bars and locked it with a beaten old padlock. "Don't make me be wrong about you…" he added as a passing thought, and left from Kate's view.

Kate watched him go, huddling into her blanket wondering where he was off to, and if he really thought that she had crashed here on a plane.

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"Should we tell Jack?" Claire asked, looking into Charlie's eyes. He didn't return her contact, staring at the paper in his hands.

"I don't know," he answered, trying to calm the sudden feeling of dread that poured over him like cold water. Kate was really missing? They had Kate? Everyone remembered the time Jack had come back, how been up he'd been.

"Well, what do you think it means?" she asked again, and Charlie still didn't look at her.

"I don't know," he answered, his tone slightly more irritated then before. But they destroyed the Others' camps, didn't they. Boone and them blew it up. According to island gossip anyways.

"Who do you think Rachel is?" Claire asked quietly, and Charlie turned on her, snapping,

"I don't know! I don't bloody know Claire! I'm not bloody God!" Charlie stopped himself abruptly, Claire's face mixed with fear and confusion. "Sorry," he muttered miserably. "I shouldn't've yelled at you. I'm sorry."

Claire shrugged and stood up, but Charlie could tell that she was hurt. He didn't want to worry about the stupid others right now, he didn't want to worry about telling anyone, and he didn't want to trek all over the camp to figure out whom the hell the Rachel girl they were talking about was. "Look," he offered, getting up and reaching for her hand. She held it grudgingly, as if it was an obligation she'd rather leave unfulfilled. "We'll go give this to Jack- or Sawyer if he's still not awake- and then grab Aaron from Troy and take a nice, calming walk around the beach. Sound good?"

"I'm not so sure we should just forget about this Charlie," she said, taking the paper and walking away from him, reading it over to herself. "If they attached this to Vincent's collar… they have to be close by… Charlie, my baby!" she yelled, running off, and Charlie followed her utterly confused.

"Claire! Claire slow down!" he yelled, finally catching up to her. He took her elbow and she stopped reluctantly, panic still flashing across her face.

"But Charlie-" she started, but he cut her off, placing his finger on her lips.

"Come with me Claire," he ordered quietly, and she nodded along, their past squabble forgotten, "We'll take this to Jack, or Sawyer. Aaron will be safe with Troy, and you'll be safe with me, safer then if you went off running into the jungle to get to Aaron. You can't just go running off like that Claire; you could get hurt in the jungle."

"But Aaron-"

"Aaron needs his mum," Charlie said quietly, smiling. "And I need you."

Claire hesitated a moment, the sweetness of Charlie's words not lost on her. "Fine," she gave in, and Charlie took her hand, heading towards camp. She allowed a small smile to appear on her lips. She would be safe with Charlie.

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It'd been a couple hours and Jack was still out cold, Boone was still in the damn tent, and Sawyer was again, feeling useless. He didn't like feeling useless, but it was the fact of the matter. He glanced into the tent once more, deciding that he needed to prioritize.

He started pacing as he figured out a list of things. _Go find Kate… defiantly number one… but do I go with Jacko, or without him? Will he be pissed off at me if I go without him… not that I care or anything, and he's a doctor right, so he'll understand. Hopefully. If he wakes up…. He'll wake up, right? Course he will, that's all I need, Doc's life on my conscience, Kate missing, and an island missing its doctor…. Junior. Can't forget her… lover-boy seems to be doing alright with her, he'll keep 'er safe. Hopefully. Heard he almost killed Rose when we crashed- but damnit, concentrate! Kate. Danoso. Jack-o waking up. Missing anything? Doesn't seem like it… wait, yes. That is defiantly Hobbit running to me with a hysterical crying moma behind him… Not that Claire's that hysterical, but it does have a nice ring to it… good, now you're smiling. That's all you need, more people that hate you for being insensitive when they're so obviously distressed… why are they coming to me? Wait, where's Jack when you need him? …right, passed out cause I fought with him… disadvantages with fighting doctors noted… oh what do they want now?_

"We found something- and we think you should know about it."

"Well that's nothing new," Sawyer drawled, giving Charlie an up-down, "But couldn't you just spare me this once?"

Charlie looked utterly disgusted with him, obviously getting the nature of the comment, while Claire remained blissfully naïve. He could just imagine the questions that would follow after their conversation.

"We found this," Charlie said, thrusting the paper into Sawyers hands, "And we thought you 'outa know about it. We could come back when Jack was awake-"

"That's okay," Sawyer muttered, opening the slip. The words written on it gave his spine a chill:

Jack,

Your precious Katie's with us;

Give us Rachel and we'll gladly trade.

You've got a week to decide which means more.

He read it a couple times in quick succession before gruffly asking, "Where'd you find this?" Charlie shrugged,

"Me and Claire were sitting by the beach when Vincent came up. It was tied to his collar."

"How long ago?" he asked, looking over to Jack. Even though Jack never talked about it, Sawyer knew that the last time he'd come back from the Others, it wasn't pretty. They'd hurt Jack above and beyond, and Sawyer didn't even want to think of all the things that they could do to a girl like Kate.

"About a half hour ago, but mate, they could've gotten to Vincent anytime. I mean,-"

"You dunno," Sawyer finished, though probably not with the same answer. "You know who this Rachel girl is?" he asked, and Charlie shook his head.

"I asked Hurley on the way back, and he didn't know anything about a girl named Rachel, we dunno who in heavens name she is."

Sawyer shook his head, trying to remember if he'd ever been introduced or seen a person named Rachel around the camp. "Go get me Sun," he said finally, and added, "and Walt if you can find him. We need to find out where the damn dogs been…"

He read the note again, and called back Charlie and Claire, "Never mind," he said, and he gave the note back to Charlie. Charlie took it like it was the burning bush, "Find Sun and tell her to look after Jack and Danoso. Make sure Jack gets that after, but doesn't go anywhere. I'm gonna go look for her."

"Sawyer," Claire started, but Charlie shook her head and she left the name hanging as a warning.

He pushed past the two, wondering how many lives these Others had. He amused himself with the thought of cat-like Others, that had nine lives, but resolved to hurt the one that had gotten Kate, and bad.

If they'd done anything to her… they were in for a surprise.

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"Kate…" Chase whispered, and Kate snapped to. "Kate?" he called again, and this time Kate answered with a soft,

"Yes?"

The door to her cell unlocked, and Kate watched Chase walk in cautiously. Something had changed about the way he presented himself, but she couldn't put a finger on what. His face came into the light, and Kate could see that there was a sizeable gash above his eye.

"What happened?" she asked quietly, but Chase ignored her. He walked over to the chair and sat in it. First facing forwards, then cross-legged, and finally twisting his body around so that his legs were hanging off the side. He fidgeted in the seat a while before he got up and started walking. "Chase?" she asked again, in a slightly more forcefully voice.

"Hypothetically," he started, standing in one place and doing the pee-pee dance, "If one was to believe you and say that he might know another that had been on the plane with you, would you be able to answer?"

Kate watched him, his constant motion making her dizzy. "If they survived, yes," she answered softly, and Chase nodded.

"Then, hypothetically," he started, crossing over to the chair once again, "If I were to describe someone to you, then you'd be able to name them- if, they survived?"

"Yes," Kate nodded, "Hypothetically." Something told her that these people defiantly weren't the others, and that they had a connection with flight 815.

"So if there was, hypothetically, a person on the plane that was about 50, African-American, soft spoken, kind, a type of den mother, you would identify her as…"

"Rose?" Kate asked, and Chase's face broke out into a smile. Kate smiled, knowing that she'd hit the jackpot.

"And she would have in her possession-"

"Her husband, Bernard's, wedding ring. Because-"

"His fingers swell in the air," they finished together. Chase hopped up to beside Kate, kneeling down on the floor next to her. "So she's alive?" Chase asked, beaming.

"Yes, she is. Why?"

"Her husband is curious…"

Chase's excitement seemed to deflate like a popped balloon. He got up and walked over to sit in the chair. After a second he asked, "How do I know you're who you say you are, and not just an Other that hung out at their camp?"

Kate looked down to the ground, wondering what she could say that would make him believe her. The Other's brought back bad memories, memories of a hurting Jack, memories of those days where she didn't know if he was okay, or where he was being held…

"We have a doctor there, at our camp," Kate started, speaking without knowing she was saying the words out loud. "He's the sweetest man on the planet. He's kind, caring; he can't stand to see people hurt or dying, even if he hates them."

Chase nodded. He'd known people like that- well, truth be told, only one person. He leaned forwards in his chair. He just needed something, anything that would give him a good excuse to trust Kate and let her free… run away with her. He hated it here, but she seemed to be struggling with her story.

"He got captured by them, the Others as you call them, that's what we call them too though. I remember the look on Danoso's face when she figured out that they'd kidnapped him to get to her. She was horrified. You remind me a little of her, you know," Kate laughed fruitlessly. How was she doing? Was she still sick, like she had been when Sawyer and her had left for the tent? Had Sawyer told Jack where she was going, and were they looking for her?

"How many more of your people are there?" he asked quietly, somberly even.

"48 at first, but a couple have passed away; we weren't very safe before, we've learned how to live now. It's better, but there's always a threat."

Chase nodded, but to Kate it seemed like a troubling thought clouded his face, but she couldn't bring herself to ask about it. "Jack – our doctor," she continued. Thinking about Jack made her body less sore and her heart a little lighter. "When he disappeared, I was scared. Then Danoso disappeared after him, and I was furious. The girl can never listen to anyone, no matter what they say. I told her to stay put and she did until I turned my back and she was gone."

"But Jack, he's the kind of guy that doesn't come by very often. He's like… the greatest thing that's ever happened to me, but I don't want him to be." She wanted to tell Chase about her fear of hurting him. Like she'd hurt Tom, and every other guy in her life. But he was just a kid, and probably didn't understand more then the typical love/hate relationship.

"Do you love him?" Chase asked quietly, and Kate glanced up at him. He seemed so innocent, so unlike the boy that had tackled her to the ground hours before. The question was filled with the naivety of a soul that hadn't been on the Earth for long. That only knew the feeling of love in its purest form.

"Yes," Kate answered, the admission frightening her. She did… didn't she? "I think I do."

The boy nodded, and Kate smiled sadly at him. "But I might not ever see him again, and I didn't even get to say goodbye." It was a cheap shot, and Chase laughed right through it. She smiled, and he came up to her, standing before her unsure.

"What was that girls name? The one that left as soon as you turned around?" he asked, a bit of hope filtering into his voice. He seemed to catch it, instantly appearing moody.

"Danoso. She was caught by the Others but got away from them and stumbled into our camp," Kate said, and his face fell a little.

"Right..," he said, and he sighed. "Would you take me to your camp if I let you?" he asked, and Kate nodded her head.

"I would probably be able to find my way." The eagerness couldn't stay out of her voice, the prospect of leaving these people and going back home.

Chase fidgeted, looking towards the door. After a minute of thought he bent down and took the chain that anchored the cuffs to the floor off. He looked up at her with such trust that Kate doubted had she been an Other, she'd be able to betray him. "I'm gonna leave the cuffs on so that if any of them catch us, we'll have a valid justification. Just stay cool and don't say anything, okay?"

She got up and followed Chase to the door, "Got it."

Unfortunately, they were caught almost as soon as they took a step out of the cell by Trey. At the sight of the other boy, Chase visibly buffed up, holding his head a little higher, squaring his shoulders and glaring at Trey, as if daring him to ask what was going on.

Trey had been walking down the hall when he saw Chase exit the cell, Kate right behind him. He reached for a set of keys he'd been using as a weapon since the crash, ready to pounce until he saw that Kate was sporting a set of handcuffs. "What is she doing out here?" he asked, shooting Chase a suspicious look. The kid could never listen.

"Since when do I answer to you?" he asked defiantly, and Trey noticed he still had anger from before waiting to be used up, "I'm allowed to roam the halls on my own, aren't I?"

Trey shook his head angrily, "Not with her in tow you aren't! If Ana-"

"Ana what? Kate needs a bathroom break. Besides, I know reciprocity's a bitch, but you do owe me one, right? I feel horrible for what we did to her before, and I want to make it up."

He looked between Kate and Chase, trying to figure out if something was up. Chase was a convincing actor, though Kate, at the moment, looked like a deer caught in headlights. Chase had saved his life a couple of times, and he saw no harm in letting Chase get his way this time. "Fine, but I never saw you," Trey said shortly, giving Kate a death glare before stalking away.

Chase waited until Trey was out of sight before muttering, "This way," and heading down a long hallway, eerily lit with a dark green hue.

"Where are we?" Kate asked, getting a short,

"Shut-up," from Chase.

She was surprised, because through the time that she'd spent talking to him, she had completely forgotten about the tougher, harder face he put on in front of his companions. Sharper, more sophisticated words would start to flood from of his mouth, his tone rising with anger with each word he spoke. He was clever, but he had a split personality, and Kate wanted to know which one was the true him. This bitter, hateful boy he'd become, or the softer, gentler boy he'd been inside the room.

All conversation stopped as they climbed down a ladder and entered the outside world from a dark cave.

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Boone was lying on the table, contemplating un-strapping Danoso. She looked uncomfortable, her face screwed up in a manner that suggested pain, and he didn't know where it was from. He'd already disregarded Jack's medical opinion once and ungagged her, cleaning off the dried blood as best he could without fear of hurting her more.

He fiddled with a stray thread off the thick nylon straps, watching her chest rising up and down systematically. It seemed so robotic, so forced that it scared him. He bent his arm and lay his head down on it, getting as close to her as he could.

It was unbearable to think about the worst case scenarios, and he stubbornly thought of only the best, what they would do when she woke up, what they would talk about. He'd tell her how much she sacred her, about this moment right now, about how scared he'd been when Walt came running up and told him about her condition. Boone curled up and placed his spare arm gently across her stomach.

He wouldn't let her get hurt any more then she was now. He wasn't going to leave her alone again, no matter how big of a fight they got into.

There were so many things that he didn't know about her, and yet he could see them going so far together. He didn't know if it was love, exactly, and it scared him to think about being that devoted to her, but he knew it was something close. Her face was scratched, origins unknown, and all he wanted to do was to take a magic eraser and scrub them off her face.

She still looked beautiful to him, if a little too pale. It struck him odd that they'd been on the island for God only knew how long, and she was still one of the lightest people around. Her dark red hair had gotten a tad lighter at the roots, probably bleached from sun exposure.

He'd never really noticed her eyes before, and they were vividly green, the black specks spread out evenly like strips on a tiger. They seemed a little wet, murky at the place where tears had gathered in the corner of her eyes. They blinked, and her eyelashes were naturally long, with the perfect amount of space between them.

They darted to him, and he suddenly realized that her eyes _were open_.

"Danoso?" he questioned softly, snapping up. Charlie had told him that she'd been acting crazy and he didn't want to trigger anything.

It took a second for her eyes to find the source of the voice, and when her eyes focused, she managed to whisper out, "Boone?"

Joy that Boone had never known erupted in his heart, and he felt his eyes become watery, "It's me. I'm here now, don't worry…" he gripped her hand, holding it tightly.

She smiled faintly from the touch, and Boone could tell she was weak. She seemed to notice that she was strapped down, her eyes opening wide and her small body struggling. "Boone, help!" she yelled, and Boone instantly got to work on the Velcro. She started to cry just as he got them off, and within the seconds that she was freed, she was engulfed in a full body hug, Boone wrapping his arms around her and holding her tightly.

"I'm here now, Danoso, I'm here…"

She was crying into his shoulder, what about he didn't know. "What's wrong?" he asked softly, and her body started to shake the more worked up she got.

"I thought they had you," she managed to get out in-between sobs. "I thought they'd killed you!" her voice cracked during the last word, and Boone rubbed her back.

"Who's they?" he asked, and she shook her head. Boone felt her hands clenching his shirt material, and he bit his lip. She was awake, but she was distraught.

"Them," she whispered softly, her head buried in Boone's neck. Now that she was awake and felt Boone in the flesh, she was reassured that what she'd just lived through had been a dream, or hallucination. But she couldn't tell what was real and what wasn't. They were two separate realities… Had she actually been captured by the Others? Was it just a dream? How much of her time with Jack and Sawyer had been real? How much a figment of her imagination? And what about Charlie? Had that been real? The sudden break of emotions hit her hard, and she was sobbing even harder into Boone.

"Hey," he whispered, trying to calm her. He pulled her back and looked at her, pulling her onto his lap. "What's wrong?" he asked, and she shook his head, pulling him into her once more. He resisted, trying to catch her eye, "I can't help you if you don't tell me. Charlie said that you were really sick before, and I don't want you scaring me like that again. What's going on?"

Images of various things shoot through her mind; that of a small boy, a plane ticket being handed to her, being strapped to a metal chair, dark things crawling all over her, watching Charlie's silhouette through the tent crack, a tree in the middle of the jungle, her hand on a baby's –Aaron's –chest. A picture frame, Boone laughing at her, Kate handing her food, Sawyer sulking outside the tent, Jack's impatient warnings regarding her fidgeting, the Other's camp blowing up, big, thick needles with clear liquid – all went through her head in a time span of a second, leaving her exhausted and confused.

"Talk to me," Boone's quiet plead came again, and Danoso opened her mouth to speak, nothing coming out. She felt safe in Boone's arms but at the same time, felt the exact opposite.

She was so scared, so frightened, Boone's arms gripped tighter around her and she ignored the pain in her stomach and leg. "I can't remember…" she whispered, and Boone wiped the tears off her face with a dirty rag.

He urged her along gently, "Remember what?" he asked.

"What's real and not…" Danoso said, and Boone tried not to look confused at her words.

He wanted to reassure her, make her feel safer but he didn't know how to do it. "You're tired, don't worry about it. You were probably having a bad dream…"

Danoso looked up at him, finally meeting his eyes. He had no idea. No idea how much more this was. How much of a crisis it was on her, how much this made her doubt herself. The tears stopped coming out of her eyes, and Boone held her until the sobs faded away.

Danoso struggled to keep her eyes open, Boone's warm body and protective cradling was doing little to prevent the urge. She felt him shift under her, and she whispered, "Don't leave me…" quietly. He must have heard, for he stopped moving, and she leaned her head against his chest and closed her eyes, giving into the waves of exhaustion.

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"I told you that you were going the wrong way!" Chase said, tripping on an uprooted tree root and bumping into Kate.

Kate lunged forwards, bracing herself against a tree, knowing that falling with her hands tied wouldn't be a very pretty sight, "We're going the right way, alright?" she sighed, and Chase stared up at her doubtfully.

He looked at her as if she were an idiot. "Then why aren't we there yet?" he asked, raising his eyebrows as she tried to figure out a satisfactory answer. She shook her head and turned to keep going, but Chase stopped her with his hand.

"Wait…" he whispered, suddenly on guard. His body tensed, and he reached into his back pocket for his knife.

Kate stared at him and he stared back, and she strained her ears for what he had heard. "What?" she whispered and he put a finger to his lips. His eyes twitched to the ground, and he stared at it hard, trying to determine the direction of the noise.

"…_reckles!... Kat…. Kate!" _

His head popped up, a silent question, and she smiled her name became louder, "Kate!"

The heavy accent made it simple to distinguish who the voice belonged to, and Kate shouted out, "Sawyer! Sawyer!" and Chase stared at her bewildered. "It's one of my friends," she explained, smiling. She'd be happy to see anyone that was familiar.

---------------

Sawyer's voice was growing hoarse. Did he really think that he would be able to find her? The hatch could have lead to anywhere, and he'd headed off the way that he was facing, the second that he'd left Charlie.

"Freckles!" he bellowed, and he hoped that the polar bears wouldn't come eat him, or that the stupid monster wouldn't attack him, or that whatever the hell this island had to throw at him, it would lay off. He wasn't particularly in the mood at the moment, and he heard his voice crack with his next, "KATE!"

"Sawyer! Sawyer! OVER HERE!"

Sawyer snapped his head around. Was that Kate? He ran towards the sound, hoping to run into someone soon. It was so close, and he was so sure that it was her. He heard a whisper of warning, and broke into a run, jumping through a large bushel of vegetation. Green vine-like strings whipped at his face, and when he opened his eyes, he saw Kate standing beside a boy, handcuffed, a knife to her head.

"Lil' Bastard!" he yelled as he came roaring into the cleared, and the boy's body froze, his head slowly turning to see Sawyer a split second before he came barreling into the little boy's body, crumpling against the weight effortlessly.

"SAWYER!" Kate screamed in horror, and Sawyer placed the boy between his legs, rearing his fist and yelling,

"I'll teach you to hold Kate hostage you worthless brat!" Kate screamed again when Sawyers fist knocked into Chase's head, the sickening sound reaching her ears and giving her a feeling of nausea.

"Sawyer, stop!" she screamed again, trying to grab hold of his hand as it winded back for another shot. Chase's face was bloody, his small body seeming even tinier covered by Sawyer. Sawyer stood up and dragged Chase along with him, the boy struggling to fight back with the ferocity of a lion as he was lifted into the air and smashed into a tree trunk.

Sawyer punched the winded boy in the stomach repeatedly, and once more in the face before Kate managed to pry him off. Chase fell to the ground motionless save for the random cough of a mixture between blood, saliva and tissue.

"Chase!" Kate gasped in horror, and Sawyer backed off as Kate rushed to the child's side and leaned him against her arms. "You idiot!" she chastised Sawyer, who realized just how small and harmless the child looked. "Chase, can you hear me?" she asked softly, taping his cheeks and looking into his face hopefully. She said nothing and she reached inside his pants and removed the keys to her handcuffs.

Taking them off, her attention automatically returned to Chase when he gasped, having troubles with the intake of required oxygen and his eyes opened to a slit, tears streaming down his face instinctively.

"What hurts Chase?" Kate asked softly, and Chase screwed up his face, as if the pain had just hit him. His small body tensed and contorted, and Kate held him firmly. She lifted him up and placed him on her hip after receiving no answer, and Chase's arm went around Kate's neck, the other hanging limply off to the side; the image a testimony to how absurd Sawyer's violence had been.

The shock ebbed away, and he began to sob, Kate beginning to walk, a befuddled Sawyer following her speechlessly. "What the hell were you thinking?" Kate demanded angrily after a second turning to face Sawyer, who held out his arms.

"What the hell did you expect me ter do Freckles? The kid had a friggen knife to yer head!"

"Because he _whispering_ something to me! He didn't want to get caught by one of the others!"

"Weren't YOU caught by the Others!"

Kate glared at him and turned around, speed walking away from him. He struggled to keep up as she gave him a tongue lashing, "Well, obviously I wasn't! He's just a child, Sawyer! Why would you have tackled him anyways?" She didn't have to tell him that this child single-handedly apprehended her during their first encounter, did she?

"I don't even get brownie points for the fact that I'd come to your rescue no matter what the threat? Does that mean nothing to you?"

"Not when I was a, in no real danger in the first place, and b, the threat was a 12 YEAR OLD BOY!"

Chase hiccupped into Kate's neck, and she patted him soothingly on the back while trying to keep him balanced. "We're almost there Chase," she whispered, and he continued to cry. "Shh… we're almost there…" She had always known that Chase wasn't as strong as he made himself out to be, and Sawyer had effectively… beat the crap out of him. She didn't blame the little guy.

Sawyer watched Kate's actions and stopped for a second. What the hell was going on? Why was Kate comforting some kid and what in the name of HELL had just happened?

"Sawyer!" Kate called impatiently, stopping and facing him, reminding him very much of a nanny.

"Keep you're buns on lady," he muttered as he sullenly headed towards the two, glaring at the child hidden in Kate's hair.

He was so GODDAMN confused…

---------------------

_He stared into her eyes, but she couldn't meet his gaze. She looked at the ground, getting as far away from his as possible. "What's your name?" he asked quietly, calmly. _

_She didn't answer. _

_He came a little closer, his face now not more then six inches away from her own. "What," he said slowly, "is your name?"_

_Again, she didn't meet his gaze or answer. _

_Her hands were tied, and he could probably kill her. She didn't want to die. She was too young to die. She didn't want to die in the middle of the jungle all-alon. _

_The man sighed. "I'm going to as you one more time. What, is your name?"_

_She didn't want to die, she didn't want to die. "Rachel," she whispered. _

_The man smiled. "Good. Now, look at me and tell me. What is your name?"_

_She knew what was happening. And she was powerless to stop it. She looked him in the eye a split second before she dropped her gaze. "Rachel."_

"_No it's not," he said, his smile growing. Rachel nodded. She was hanging off every word he was saying even though she didn't know why. It was like her body was propelling her to do so. "It's-"_

TBC…

**-LOST-**

**Cohen101**

_**A/N: Oh Gawd. I'm soo sorry for how long it took me to update, and I hope that this chapter satisfied you. I realize I haven't had flashbacks in a LOOONG time, and this chapter would have had one, but I didn't think it was up to par, so I took it out. Hope you liked it, and don't except any more updates until around Christmas time… sorry!**_

**_  
I know that the chapter's ridiculously long, but bear with me! Lol… no excuse for that one, but I seriously have no time for anything right now._**

_**Please review if you liked it, or if you want to yell at me, especially if your still reading!**_

_**Merry Christmas!!**_

_**MSG me if there are any mistakes – I'm waaay too tired to be functioning…**_


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